Drive back in time for car-crazy city

NEW DELHI: Some of them were ‘born’ before the First World War but they still had it in them to ‘saunter’ down from Red Fort to Gurgaon—a distance of 52km—on Saturday afternoon.
Scaling up from last year, the 2015 edition of the ‘21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally’ had around 200 cars and 50 bikes, of which the star—a working replica of Karl Benz’s Patentmotorwagen, the first petrol-fuelled car—was flown in from Malaysia.
Benz donated his original 1886 car to the Deutsches Museum in Munich in 1906, where it remains, but Delhiites who saw the cavalcade of motoring history on Saturday got a fair idea of how personal motoring began 129 years ago. Although Benz’s three-wheeled car produced only 0.88 horse power from a 984cc engine (Alto K10’s 998cc engine produces 68 horse power) and had a maximum speed of 12kmph, it still managed a respectable mileage of 10km/litre.
The rally passed by important tourist places, including Rajghat, Teen Murti Marg, National Art Gallery, Safdarjung Tomb and Qutub Minar. Besides the Patentmotorwagen replica, there were rare cars like a 1929 Rolls Royce Tourer, 1939 Buick Special Series, 1947 Cadillac Convertible, 1923 Rover 8, Ford 1921, Bentley Mark 6 1948, 1935 Avon DHC, 1928 Morris, 1936 Daimler Sports Coupe and even a Lincoln. Among bikes, the scene-stealers were a 1959 Lambretta Deluxe, an Indian, besides a troika of British motorbiking greats: BSA, Triumph and Matchless.
Some participants had entered more than one vehicle. The Kapoors, Salil and Arti, from Model Town, northwest Delhi, brought their 1960 Sunbeam Alpine and six other cars.
The erstwhile Maharaja of Baroda state, Samarjit Singh, flagged off the two-day rally in the presence of Dr Lalit K Panwar, secretary for tourism, government of India; Douglas Fox, secretary of Malaysia-Singapore Vintage Car Register and Jan Luykx, Belgian ambassador to India. “This rally will go a long way in promoting tourism and we will ensure our full support to make it a success,” Panwar said.
The erstwhile states of Rajkot, Gondal, Kishangarh and Ajaygarh had entered cars in the event. Madan Mohan, chairman and managing director of the rally, claimed altogether 51 princely families were participating.
Hila Donde, who flew in her 1929 Rolls Royce for the event, said this year’s rally was much better and exhibited better cars. The rally also promoted two social causes: the Prime Minister’s Beti Bachao Abhiyan and welfare of spastic children. “I am so happy that this rally is also promoting a social cause and there is no political intent behind it,” said Zeba Sultan, the Dulhan Begum of Balasinor in Gujarat.
Lyukx, who had come with his wife and son, said, “It’s such a beautiful sight—colourful and impressive”.