BHUBANESWAR: Vintage cars are timeless elegance. A few such marvels from across the nation were on display at the Biju Patnaik playground at Baramunda here.
Car lovers were in for a treat as the first Odisha Concours D’Elegance displayed an array of automobiles of the bygone era. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who inaugurated the event, commended the organisers for their initiative in preserving and showcasing the heritage associated with vintage and classic automobiles. Appreciating the diverse collection on display, he stressed the importance of such events in fostering a deeper appreciation of the automobile legacy.
Gurpreet Singh from Delhi had brought his Rolls Royce Phantom 1 Boat of 1928 to the event. After buying the vehicle in 2006, he spent a lot of time and energy to restore it. “In the next five years, the car will be 95 years old. It is a legacy passed down generations of royal families including the Maharaja of Bhavnagar who had sent his son to the UK to get the piece of envy,” said Singh.
Among the automobiles on display was a Benz Motorwagen of 1886 owned by Dharmaditya Patnaik, curator of Odisha Contours and an avid vintage car collector. The vehicle on display was, of course, a replica but gave an insight into how the automobile industry started with cars fitted with bicycle-like tyres and a lever instead of a steering wheel.
The Ford Mustang of the sixties and seventies (convertible and fastback) too stood out in the crowd. The ‘baddy’ of the West is still most sought after in India over a couple of years after Ford left the country. The newer variants are as powerful and fast as ever. “I wish I could buy one for myself,” said Abhijeet Das, a banker who owns a Toyota Fortuner and hates second-hand vehicles.
Dharmaditya expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming response to the event. “We are thrilled to witness the success of the 1st Odisha Concours D’Elegance and we extend our heartfelt thanks to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for inaugurating the event,” he said.