PUNE, February 14: The adage, old is gold, was driven home as 19 vintage beauties sped from Mumbai to Pune on Saturday morning, each with such aristocratic and characteristic elegance that it made many heads turn in awe and wonder, as they passed by.And for once the grandeur of the Sahyadri ranges enroute Lonavala, studded with livewire canvases of picturesque landscapes, formed the perfect backdrop for these machines of yesteryear as they traversed with their proud masters at the steering wheel.
A total of 21 vintage and classic cars were flagged-off of from Express Towers in Mumbai's Nariman Point at 8.00 a.m. on Saturday morning for the much-awaited The Indian Express VCCCI Vintage Car Rally scheduled to be held in Pune on Sunday morning.
Of the 21 cars from Mumbai that were scheduled to participate in the rally, two (a 1927 Rolls Royce owned by Ramesh Thakkar of Pune and a 1935 Avon SS owned by Monisha Dossa) were delayed by starting problems.The other 19 cars headed towards Pune with speedsranging between 25-30 kms for the vintage cars and 35-40 kms for the classic cars.
It was precisely 10.10 a.m when No. 25, the 1960 Mercedes 190 SL drove into Nishiland Park, eight kilometres before Khopoli and about 95 kms from Mumbai, for the first halt. Within a span of 45 minutes, all the 19 cars were parked in a row, converting the barren parking stretch into a delightful exhibition ground.
The acid test was to be in the eight-kilometre Bhor Ghat between Khopoli and Khandala where the curvaceous uphill roads threatened to assess the power of these engines. A little distance after the Bhor Ghat begins at Khopoli, there are two alignments. The old alignment is via Shingroba Temple which is open to heavy vehicles only and the vintage rally chose this route due to the interesting and challenging curves. The new alignment is actually for lighter four wheelers but the vintage cars ran neck and neck with the monstrous trucks and buses and made a picture of sturdy yet feminine elegance amidst these heavyones
.For the vintage car drivers, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the climb, which began at 11.50 a.m., it was excitement on wheels each time they swerved and intelligently manoeuvered the twists and turns without any hassles. One of them caused much flutter and amusement as the horn made a funny hooting sound. It was mission accomplished within 45-50 minutes as the cars parked themselves at their next halt, the Rainbow Retreat in Lonavala near the Valvan Dam. It was 12.40 p.m. when the first car entered the retreat. Interestingly, the 1919 Fiat, owned by Peter Travasso, which led the entourage by virtue of its being the oldest, from Express Towers on Saturday morning, lagged behind and trudged itself slowly but steadily towards Pune.
Speed picked up from Lonavala especially on the Westerly Bypass where the cars turned left at the Balewadi junction. Finally, at around 2.30 p.m. they reached the final destination, Hotel Blue Diamond which plays the official host to the event on Sunday morning.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
