More than 100 elegant vintage cars and motorcycles took part in the 10{+t}{+h}vintage car show on in Udhagamandalam on Saturday. The show organised by The Nilgiris Vintage and Classic Cars Association, as part of The Nilgiris Summer Festival, attracted close to 20,000 tourists and residents.
District Collector P. Shankar flagged off the rally at Tamilagam Palace.
As many as 70 vintage and classic cars and jeeps and 32 motorcycles paraded through Stephen’s Church, Chairing Cross and the bus stand before halting at the YWCA Anandagiri – covering a distance of close to seven km.
A 1931 model Dodge Brothers owned by M.S. Guhan of Chennai was adjudged most favourite car of the show.
A 1957 LD Lambretta of Taj Mohammed, Coimbatore, was chosen the most favourite motorcycle of the show.
Other rare beauties that grabbed the attention of onlookers and vintage car owners were Morris Garage (1946), Italian Fiat Spider (1964) a sports car, Chevrolet (1951) and Harvester International (1929) an American made tractor that starts in petrol and runs in kerosene.
Two vehicles used by the Americans and the Russians in World War-II also took part in the rally. They were an American Ford jeep (1942) that is now owned by a person from Erode and a Russian Yaz now owned by a Coimbatorean. Woolsley (1947) and Sleep Master (1946) were among other attractions.
Among the motorcycles were an AJS made in England, Java from Czechoslovakia and Matchless made in England. Proud owners of the vehicles had brought them to the show from Chennai, Salem, Coimbatore, Erode, Tirupur, Palakkad and as far as Thiruvananthapuram.
Founder president of the association R. Rajinikanth told The Hindu that the vintage car show was started 10 years ago with 23 vehicles. “Over the years the quality of the show and participating vehicle varieties has been getting better,” he said and recalled that many vehicles were not in running condition when the show was initiated.
“We had to push the vehicles to the show. But its owners have developed interest in maintaining their vehicles and they are in sound condition,” he said.
