Hundreds of grown-ups who gathered around on Sunday to take a peek at the 151 vintage and classic cars and bikes that took part in the vintage car rally on the city roads, failed to pick a clear favourite.
Sahil Mankar did not know which one to choose. First he stood transfixed in front of a gleaming Rolls Royce, and told his grandmother he wanted to buy it. A little later, having seen some more of the old beauties, he wanted to buy them all.
But then Sahil is only six years old. Hundreds of grown-ups who gathered around on Sunday to take a peek at the 151 vintage and classic cars and bikes that took part in the vintage car rally on the city roads, failed to pick a clear favourite.
Mumbai police commissioner D Sivanandhan, himself driving a Chrysler Windsor, flagged off the rally from Horniman Circle. Golden oldies in all shapes and sizes — from eight metres long to less than eight feet — rolled by in front of wildly-cheering crowds.
“Chup chap se keep the car in the Bandra garage... Do not worry about getting home, I will drop you,” Irfan Mogul told Animeh Kasliwal, who drove Vijay Mallya’s Cadillac. “Overnight colour change kar dunga. Dhoondte rahega woh.”
Custom-made cars, such as Maharani Gayatri Devi’s Buick Super; the Bentley Drop Head Coupe of Maharaja of Mysore; Jawaharlal Nehru’s two-seater Mercedes Benz 190 SL, were paraded in full glory. Oversized convertible Impalas, identified with celebrities of yesteryear like Dilip Kumar and Rajendra Kumar; Minor Morris identified with Mr Bean; Norton bikes from the World War II era and Rajdoot GTS of Bobby fame were among the many the shutterbugs went crazy about.
Humber, the oldest of the lot dating back to 1903, caught the fancy of the youth too with its lantern-styled tail lights, cycle-like tyres, and the transparent fuel tank next to its steering.
The owners were dressed up in sync with the long-gone eras. The original Gaekwad broach, the Victoria Medal, the World War I and II medals were displayed on their dresses. Rajan Jayakar, owner of an Austin (1938) which once belonged to Maharaja of Baroda, said, “I am dressed like the maharaja, and my wife like Maharani Chimnabai.”
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