Classic cars and elegance take centre-stage at 54th Statesman Vintage Car Rally

The grounds of the Royal Calcutta Turf Club transformed into a shimmering time capsule on Sunday as over 120 vintage masterpieces roared to life, tipping their hats to the 54th edition of The Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally.

- ANWESHA SANTRA

Flagged off at 10 in the morning by Mrs Ashima Srikanth, regional vice president of the Army Wives Welfare Association (and the better half of Lt Gen. RC Srikanth, Chief of Staff, Eastern Command), this parade of timeless classics wound its way through the heart of Kolkata, from CR Avenue in the north to Ashutosh Mukherjee Road in the south, covering a total length of approximately 25 km, while an enthusiastic sea of spectators turned the streets into a symphony of cheers and camera flashes.

The 54th Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally unfolded like an opulent stage play, with its stellar cast of automotive royalty captivating the audience. New entries glimmered alongside beloved classics, creating a pageant of elegance and engineering marvels.

Leading the convoy was the dignified elder, a scarlet 1906 Renault Freres, lovingly rejuvenated by Shrivardhan Kanoria. Close behind were other four-wheeled luminaries: Ananda Chowdhury's parakeet-green 1913 Gebrüder Stoewer, SK Lahiri's sleek sapphire-blue Plymouth (endearingly nicknamed 'Nilu') and the star-studded 1963 Triumph Spitfire 4, famously owned by Bollywood's Jackie Shroff.