The tenth edition of Asia’s prestigious motoring event, 21 Gun Salute Concours d’Elegance, showcasing rare and magnificent vintage cars, kicked off at the Lukshmi Vilas Palace, the royal home of erstwhile Baroda State, in Vadodara on Friday.
Rajmata of Baroda Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad was the chief guest at the event. More than 200 dazzling vintage and classic Indian cards, 120 veteran bikes and Maharaja cars are part of the display from January 6- to 8, organisers said.
Among the cars on display are 1911 Napier, 1922 Daimler, 1930 Chevrolet depot hack woody, 1932 Chevy, 1935 Ford Special, 1938 Armstrong Siddeley, 1938 Rolls-Royce 25/30, 1947 Buick Roadmaster Convertible, 1947 Daimler DB18, 1948 Humber, 1948 Bentley Mark VI, 1948 BuickSuper, 1936 Dodge D2 Convertible Sedan, 1942 jeep ford GPW, 1936 Bentley 3.5, 1937 Bentley 4.24 and 1937 Bentley Vanden Plas.
Rajmata of Baroda Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad was the chief guest at the event. (Express Photo by Bhupendra Rana)
The oldest automobile on display is the 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen, the first car invented by Mercedes-Benz founder Karl Benz. For the first time, the Maharaja cars of the erstwhile state of Baroda, belonging to the Gaekwad royal family, are on display at the event.
Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad, during the opening ceremony, said she was delighted to see so many vintage cars converging at the palace and termed it a “precious heritage” of the country. “Even cars (from the Baroda family) which were lost from our vision for years, are back in our gardens,” she said.
The concours is being organised by 21 Gun Salute Heritage and Cultural Trust in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, and supported by Gujarat Tourism to boost the ‘Incredible India!’ brand.
Among the guests at the event were Vadodara royal scion Samarjitsinh Gaekwad and Radhikaraje Gaekwad as well as vintage car owners Yohan Poonawalla, Harsh Pati Singhania, Gautam Singhania, Neerja Birla, and Gaurav Gupta, the Chief Commercial Officer of MG Motor India.
The show has a special section of MG cars. The MG cars on the display include 1946 MG TC SportsTourer, 1958 MGA convertible, 1979 MG Midget, 1947 MG TC, 1948 MG TC, 1965 MGB,1964 MG B, 1951 MG TD, 1958 MG MGA Roadster, 1955 MG ZA Magnette Saloon, MG TD,1950 MG YT and 1963 MG Midget Convertible, among others.
Madan Mohan, chairman and managing trustee of 21 Gun Salute Heritage and Cultural Trust, said it was befitting that Baroda state, which was a 21-gun-salute state in the British era, is hosting the event.
“The tenth edition of this Concours is taking a huge leap towards our goal to mark different parts of India in the global tourism map,” he said.