PASSAGE TO INDIA

THE 2018, 21 GUN SALUTE INTERNATIONAL VINTAGE CAR RALLY AND CONCOURS SHOW HELD IN NEW DELHI

This magnificent event was a romantic mix, from A Drive of the Lutyens — named for the architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens (1869–1944), who laid out so much of the administrative heart of the new city — to black-tie dinners at the homes of Maharajahs; traditional and unique dance entertainment from the regions of India; the National Railway Museum; motorbikes and scooters; culinary delights — such as Hyderabadi dum biryani, macher jhol, rogan josh, sorpotel, and meen vevicathu (do not question, just eat!) — and, last but certainly not least, well over 100 veteran, Edwardian, vintage, and classic cars, including international entrants from the US, Australia, the Seychelles, Italy, and the UK.

As well as the international entrants held in such high regard locally, there were participants from Delhi, Kanpur, Jaipur, Udaipur, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur. On the morning of Saturday February 17, all gathered at the landmark India Gate, Lutyens’ architectural memorial — one of 66 designed by him, including the Cenotaph in London. As the vehicles arrived at the memorial to those who fell in the Great War and the third Anglo-afghan War between 1914 and 1921, so to did the crowd for what was to be the start of one of the largest classic car rallies ever seen in Asia. Flagged off by the posse of dignitaries at the start line, the parade through Lutyens’ Delhi made its sometimes-disorderly way through the Inner Circle Road, then along Raj Path (or King’s Way) Road; Vijay Chowk; South Avenue Road; past the Nehru Memorial Museum on the Shanti Path Road; the Panchsheel Marg ( marg is the Hindi/punjabi word for road); and, ultimately, 36 hectic kilometres later (traffic in Delhi needs to be experienced to be believed) to the Ambience Greens Golf Course in nearby Guragon.

TO BORROW A LINE FROM CHAPTER X XVI I OF EM FORSTER’ S 1924 NOVEL, A PASSAGE TO INDIA, “IS EMOTION A SACK OF POTATOES, SO MUCH THE POUND, TO BE MEASURED OUT? AM I A MACHINE ? ” Well, there was plenty of emotion shown over machines at the 2018 21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally and Concours Show held in New Delhi Word and photos: James Nicholls

Pebble Beach style

In Gurgaon, the cars were laid out Pebble Beach style, in 14 different classes on the golf course designed by Hawaiian firm Nelson and Haworth, where floodlights make it possible to tee off at 9pm. Over the two days of the weekend, the 24 members of the international jury — hailing from the US, UK, Japan, Australia (myself included), Monaco, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, and Canada — walked the course more times than if they were competing at the Open Championship. This was no handicap though, as the wonderful machines brought together by Mr Madan Mohan, one of India’s largest collectors and the brain behind the 21 Gun Salute event, created a unique ephemeral museum that prompted an enormous amount of enthusiasm among the judges, to a level that, like Forster’s emotion, was not to be measured by the pound.

After much deliberation, checking, and double-checking, the combined knowledge and expertise of the jury decided on the following class winners: Pre-war Classic: European — 1939 Delage D8-120 Pre-war Classic: American — 1929 Graham Paige Tourer Post-war Classic: European — 1966 Volvo 122 Amazon Post-war Classic: American — 1960 Pontiac Parisienne MG Classic — 1965 MGB GT Convertible and Roadster: American — 1952 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible and Roadster: European — 1963 Sunbeam Alpine SIII Rolls-royce Classic — 1937 Rolls-royce 25/30 Gurney Nutting Bentley Classic — 1922 Bentley Le Mans 3.0-litre Limousine — 1940 Buick 90 Ltd Preservation Class — 1946 Chrysler Windsor Pre-war Italian Class — 1926 Fiat 503 Post-war Italian Class — 1967 Alfa-romeo GT 1300 Junior Italian Piccolo — 1955 Fiat 1100

Special mention

Lovely cars all, but a few deserve special mention. The Preservation Class, won by the Chrysler, with runners-up being a 1955 Fiat and a 1939 Lagonda V12, was conducted under the auspices of FIVA, the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens, with the organization’s president, Patrick Rollet of Belgium, in attendance. The three standout cars of the whole event were the 1922 Bentley 3.0-litre, the 1939 Delage, and the 1937 Gurney Nutting Rolls-royce.

The Bentley 3.0-litre, chassis number 141, engine number 62, was brought all the way from Perth, Western Australia (actually it was en route for home from last year’s Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court) by its owners Peter and Robin Briggs and two of their charming grandchildren. If that is not impressive enough, then consider the car’s pedigree. It was, among other things, the first ever Bentley to run in the first 24 Hours of Le Mans in May 1923, finishing fourth and setting the inaugural lap record, thus establishing the tradition for those Bentley Boys’ victories to follow!

As well as winning its class here in Delhi, unsurprisingly, it also won an award for most significant competition car, and was a runner-up for Best in Show.

The other runner-up for Best in Show, winner of its class and for the most significant international entrant was the 1939 Delage D8-120, chassis number 51760, with coachwork by Henri Chapron. This stunning car, owned by Peter and Merle Mullin, joined the event from California, where Peter’s world famous Mullin Automotive Museum — his tribute to the French automobile — is established in Oxnard. The Delage’s original owner was a French general of the Vichy Government, who was a German collaborator. After the war in 1946, he sent the car to California, but, being unable to obtain a visa for himself, he raced off to Argentina, having sold the car to RKO Radio Pictures. It later appeared in the 1951 Oscar-winning film An American in Paris starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron and featuring the music of George Gershwin. Peter Mullin, just the car’s fourth owner, purchased this graceful automobile in 1987, and, since then, it has taken part in many concours d’élégance with outstanding results. was beautifully presented and features a stunning cabriolet body, one of only two of its kind ever built, by Gurney Nutting, one of the most famous names in coach building. Synonymous with Rolls-royce, royalty, and art-deco styling in motor cars, Gurney Nutting is perhaps most famous for its body work on the 1930 Blue Train Bentley and Malcolm Campbell’s ‘Blue Bird’ land-speed-record car, but also had a strong association with India. It was fitting, then, that the Best in Show was the Gurney Nutting all-weather Rolls-royce cabriolet, chassis number GR048, supplied new to HH Maharaja of Darbhanga. When it was first seen in the mist of early Saturday morning at India Gate, it made everyone’s draw drop in appreciation.