For visitors at the 14th edition of Chennai Heritage Auto Rally 2016, it was a travel back to a bygone era. Over 100 Cars including Jaguar, MG, Dodge Brothers, Chevrolet, Austin, Mercedes and 25 bikes including BSA, the wolf and scooters, like Lambretta, were on display.
“The Dodge Kingsway used by former chief minister M.G. Ramachandran and automobiles belonging to famous personalities are on display, apart from those that were used in some old movies,” said V.S. Kylas, secretary, Madras Heritage Motoring Club that organised the rally.
The young and the old were seen taking pictures of the vehicles. “It was trip down memory lane when I saw the cars honking and coming out of the Don Bosco campus. Decades ago, these cars were on the roads when I visited Madras. But now they are in garages,” says V. Paulo, an octogenarian. Ranjith Prathap, who owns over 40 vintage cars including Mercedes, Jaguar and MG, said that many cars were affected in the floods. “We were able to fix and get them running,” he said.
Mr. Kylas said: “With no major electronic work needed to get them running, it took a couple of months to fix them. The owners themselves need to know the mechanics of the car,” he said.
As part of the rally, the cars were taken on a five-kilometre drive and brought back to the school ground. The cars and bikes were judged for its authenticity, mechanicals, overall presentation and coach work.
