Bentley 3-litre chassis 141 at 21 Gun Salute Rally 2018 in India

 

Visits to war memorial India Gate at New Delhi are always special. But one particular visit stood out this year, as it was the starting point for the 21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally & Concours Show, which saw some of the country’s finest vintage cars and motorcycles come together; and it wasn’t just a handful of them -– over 125 vintage and classic cars and motorcycles were flagged off from India Gate, making their way to the Ambience Greens Golf Course in Gurgaon (a New Delhi suburb), which was a stunning venue for the concours.

 

With over 125 vintage cars and bikes, this year’s 21 Gun Salute Rally made for a riveting sight

 

The world class international jury was headed by chief judge Christian Kramer – a FIVA Scrutineer and Collection Advisor – along with eminent others, including Patrick Rollet, FIVA President; Rolls-Royce authority Paul Wood; Richard Adatto, world-renowned expert on French aerodynamic cars; Siegfried Linke, Master Judge at Classic Car Club of America and many other automotive luminaries. The judging was done as per the ICJAG judging guidelines and concours’ standards.

 

The judges showed appreciation for cars that were sympathetically restored and also paid close attention to detail, like period-accurate screws on the doors and engine bay, as well as paint shades.

 

What was clear was the quality of restoration. The work done on the cars by the country’s leading restorers and collectors was absolutely world class.

 

The event saw a number of international entries which included Robert Gaines-Cooper’s historic Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, an extremely rare Delage D-8 120 from California and the legendary Bentley 3-Litre Chassis No. 141 that started the Bentley Boys legend at Le Mans.

 

In addition to the regular classes, this year’s concours also had an exclusive Italian Piccolo class and a MG Classic Class.

 

Here are some of the fascinating cars from the event.

 

Bentley 3-Litre (1922)

Chassis No. 141, owned by Peter and Robin Briggs and restored to its original specification. This was the first Bentley to participate in Le Mans and start the Bentley Boys legend. The car set a lap record of 107kph at its first attempt at the race, way back in 1923.

 

Madan Mohan - Chairman & Managing Trustee
Madan Mohan, one of India’s largest and most well-known car collectors, and chairman and managing trustee of the event, said that the purpose of this rally is to promote India as a top-notch motoring tourism destination."The 21 Gun Salute International Car Rally & Concours Show aims at bringing forward the golden history of India’s motoring heritage. We plan to expand the concept to several other regions in the future editions of the event. I think we’re going to see a huge movement towards vintage motoring – and this spectacular show promises to build on its global success."

 

The Winners

 

Category	Car	Owner
Pre-War Classic: European	1939 Delage D-8-120	Peter Mullin
Pre-War Classic: American	1929 Graham Paige Tourer	Yashvardhan Ruia
Post-War Classic: European	1966 Volvo 122 Amazon	Ranjit Pratap
Post-War Classic: American	1960 Pontiac Parisienne	Jimmy Tata
Convertible & Roadster: American	1952 Cadillac Serie 62 Convertible	Anirudh Kasliwal
Convertible & Roadster: European	1963 Sunbeam Alpine SIII	Ishtiyaq Nagree
Rolls-Royce Classic	1937 Rolls-Royce 25/30 Gurney Nutting	Den Gidwaney
Bentley Classic 1922	Bentley LeMans 3 Litre	Peter Briggs
Limousine	1940 Buick 90 Ltd	KTS Tulsi
Preservation Class: Fiva Award	1946 Chrysler Windsor	Nitin Dossa
Pre-War Italian Class	1926 Fiat 503	H W Bhatnagar
Post-War Italian Class	1967 Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior	Behram Ardeshir
Italian Piccolo	1955 Fiat 1100 (Colour Black)	S B Jatti
MG Classic	1965 MBG GT	Usha Kothari
Best of Show - International	1939 Delage D-8-120	Peter Mullin
Best of Show	1937 Rolls-Royce 25/30 Gurney Nutting	Den Gidwaney

 

Source: Autocar India