Rolling Royalty: 21 Gun Salute Rally feature

    The 9th edition of 21 Gun Salute showcased the finest classic and vintage cars from India and overseas. We bring you the highlights.

    Published On Mar 07, 2020 06:00:00 AM

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    Rolling Royalty: 21 Gun Salute Rally feature

    The 9th edition of the 21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally and Concours d’Elegance took place on the weekend of February 15 and 16, 2020, and was one of the largest event of its kind
    in India till date. It was a grand showcase of some of the finest vintage and classic cars from India and saw participation from overseas too. The 2020 edition was curated by Madan Mohan of the 21 Gun Salute Trust, in association with the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. This year’s event also featured a drive that was flagged off at the iconic India Gate and traversed through Delhi-NCR and ended at the Karma Lakelands Golf Course in Gurugram where the cars were displayed.

    The 35-member jury panel was led by Christian Kramer as the chief judge. Christian has recently served as a judge at the Pebble beach Concours d’Elegance and a few other major motoring events. Nigel Matthews was the assistant chief judge of the event. The panel also included esteemed figures such as FIVA president, Tiddo Bresters, Peter Larsen, Siegfried Linke, Quirina Louwman and Peter Stevens, amongst many more.

    The participating cars were split into classes like the Edwardian, Pre-War American, Post-War American Sports, Pre-War European, Post-War American (Coupe), Indian Heritage and Preservation class. The event also featured one-make classes like Rolls-Royce, Bentley Volkswagen and MG. The Post-War European class cars saw one of the largest participation at the event. This year’s event also included the highly revered Pebble Beach class that displayed cars from India that took part in the Pebble Beach Concours 2018. There were some international entries too, like the 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster from the US, 1959 Alfa 2000 from Belgium, 1966 Ford Mustang and the Maserati 3500 GT Spyder Vignale from Belgium, amongst others.

    Prominent car collectors from India like Viveck Goenka, Diljeet Titus, Amal Tanna, Jimmy Tata, Gautam Hari Singhania, Yohan Poonawalla, Den Gidwani, Arjun Oberoi as well as Ranjit Pratap from Chennai brought in the prized possessions from their collection to the event. There were cars from royal families including Yuvraj Harshvardhan Singh of Dungarpur, Yuvraj Dhananjai Singh of Khimsar and Yuvraj Mandhata Singhji Jadeja of Rajkot. MG Motor India participated at the event and the show was also supported by the MG Car Club from the UK.

    Some of our show favourite cars were Amir Ali Jetha’s 1935 Rolls Royce P-II Continental from the Pebble Beach category, the painstakingly restored 1962 Mercedes-Benz 220SE from the Viveck Goenka collection, the 1935 Bentley 31/2 Litre Drophead Coupe by Antem owned by Jagdish Thackersey and the ex-Maharaja of Gwalior’s 1961 Ford Thunderbird. A few of the other gems included Jyotsna Sanghi’s 1934 Lagonda M45 Rapide, Amal Tanna’s 1921 Fiat Corsa, Diljeet Titus’ 1930 Stutz Series M, Madan Mohan’s 1927 Lanchester 21HP Tourer and Amol Nayak’s 1940 LaSalle coupe.

    The top honour of the day was bagged by Yohan Poonawalla’s 1949 Bentley MK-VI Saloon, which sported bodywork by Hooper and Company. The ex-Maharaja of Mysore’s car, and winner of the
    ‘Best of Show’ award, had been recently restored to its full glory, especially for the Concours.

    The Cars

    1949 Bentley MK-VI Saloon by Hooper and Co –Yohan Poonawala 

    Winner of the Best of Show award, this ex-Maharaja of Mysore’s Bentley was recently restored to its full glory and made its debut at the Concours.

    1927 Lanchester 21HP Tourer – Madan Mohan

    This car participated in the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and is believed to be first owned by the Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar.


    1952 Volkswagen Beetle – Viveck and Zita Goenka

    Probably the only known split window Beetle in India; one of the finest surviving samples in the world. 

    1919 Packard Twin six – Amal Tanna 

    The car that participated featured a 135-inch wheelbase and is probably one of very few surviving models. It also had one of the first V12 engines on a production car in the world.


    1965 Triumph Spitfire Mk II – Ishtiyaq Nagree 

    This Triumph was once owned by legendary musician R.D. Burman. It has been with its present owner’s family since 1973. The current owner, Ishtiyaq, used to go to school in this car which was gifted to him by his uncle in 2000.

    1920 Ford Super 8 – Xerxes Master 

    Originally part of the Junagadh royal fleet, this Super 8 was the first all-new model from Ford after World War II.

    1961 Ford Thunderbird - Viveck and Zita Goenka

    This ex-Maharaja of Gwalior’s car won the Post-War American Sports class with its remarkable detail to restoration.


    1939 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith by James Young - Gautam Singhania 

    This Silver Wraith is one of three produced in this design, and it features a kneeling Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament that was considered more aerodynamic. 

    1930 Stutz Series M Speedster - Diljeet Titus 

    This Stutz Speedster was specially ordered with a custom body designed by LeBaron, and a high-compression engine. It was owned by ex-Maharawal Ranjitsinhji KCSI of Baria, Gujarat.

    1967 Dodge Charger – Jimmy Tata 

    Attending the event in its original Silver Mist Metallic shade, the Charger has a 318 cu-in V8 engine. The car features unique headlights that rotate to open and close.

    1960 Alfa Romeo 2000 Touring Spider - Raol San Giorgi 

    One of the international entries at the event, this Touring Spider was designed by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. 


    1965 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 – Aditya Malik 

    Jaguar’s E-Type is a rare Series 1 car and was the winner of the Jaguar-Daimler class award at the event. 


    1921 Fiat Corsa - Amal Tanna

    A special order for the Maharaja of Patiala, the Corsa has been restored grounds up. The Maharaja ordered it after being inspired by the actual GP-winning race car.  


    1935 Adler Trumpf Junior – Sameer Kadam 

    The Trumpf was one of the first front-wheel-drive cars in the world. It took home the honours in the Pre-War European class. 


    1946 Packard Clipper – Aniruddh Kasliwal 

    This Packard was recently restored to its original specifications. It was given the right paint shades, and the upholstery was matched to the original preserved swatch.


    1937 Daimler EL24 – Ravi Pittie

    This 7-seater limousine was delivered to Her Highness Princess Indumati of Kolhapur. It features an in-house coachwork by Daimler, and has black tinted glass, as ‘purdah’ was the norm for most royal cars used by women.


    1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental - Amir Ali Jetha 

    Originally owned by the Maharaja of Jodhpur, it was painted in the same colours as his polo team. It features body work by Gurney Nutting, and is the last Phantom II built.


    1935 Bentley 3 ½ Sports Drophead – Jagdish Thackersey 

    This Bentley has coachwork by Antem of Paris, and it’s considered to be rare for a British brand to feature coachwork by a French company.


    1962 Mercedes 220SE Cabriolet (W111) – Viveck and Zita Goenka 

    Believed to be one of two in India, this 220SE Cabriolet features spotless exterior and interiors. SEs are highly sought after the world over.


    1961 Maserati 3500GT Spyder - Theierry Dehaeck 

    An international entry at the event, the roadster underwent a two-year-long restoration that ended in 2018. 


    1950 MG YT - Daman Thakore 

    The model that won the MG class at the show.



    1937 Pierce Arrow Eight coupe – Gautam Singhania 

    This late model coupé is one of the only survivors from the ones built in this model year. It was part of the popular Guyton collection.


    1934 Lagonda M45 Rapide – Sharad Sanghi 

    This Lagonda was originally ordered by the Maharaja of Bhavnagar. It features a unique body by Abbot that includes a concealed spare wheel. 


    1940 LaSalle coupé – Amol Nayak 

    The LaSalle brand was sold alongside General Motor’s Cadillac luxury marque. The coupé was imported from the United States by its present owner. 


    1964 Mercedes-Benz 230SL (Pagoda) – Anosh Shroff 

    This silver convertible belonged to philanthropist Kishinchand Chellaram. It’s an early model with a 4-speed manual gearbox and right-hand drive. The car has been with its present owner for over 35 years.

    Madan Mohan, 21 Gun Salute Trust

    This year’s event was very special as we had more than 150 cars in all, with quite a few international entries. The 35-member jury included 24 chief class judges from the Pebble Beach. The cars were judged as per ICJAG standards.

    It’s my vision and my mission to place India on the world heritage motoring tourism map. According to our jury panel, this year’s event was better than a lot of European, American, and other developed country concours.

    Adam Sloman, MG Car Club UK

    I’m absolutely blown away. I knew that there were classic cars here in India, but I wasn’t expecting the array and quality of cars. And the passion that these guys have got for their cars is equal to anywhere I’ve been in the world. The 1950 MG YT, the YA, the YB, and the YT, which is the tourer with the convertible roof, all were quite unique for me. We never see those in the UK because they’re virtually extinct.

    The Winners

    Best of Show

    1949 Bentley Mark VI Saloon by Hooper & Co. 

    Yohan Poonawala

     

    Edwardian Class

    1919 Packard Twin Six

    Amal Tanna

     

    Pre-war American Class

    1939 Buick Roadmaster convertible

    John Miliken

     

    Post-War American Sports Class 

    1961 Ford Thunderbird

    Viveck and Zita Goenka

     

    Post-War American Class

    1947 Packard Clipper Limousine

    H.H. Yuwarag Mandhata Singh

     

    Ford Mustang Class 

    1964 Ford Mustang

    S.B. Jatti

     

    Pre-war European Class 

    1936 Adler Trumpf Junior

    Sameer Kadam

     

    Post-War European Class 

    1962 Mercedes-Benz 220S Cabriolet

    Viveck and Zita Goenka

     

    Volkswagen Class 

    1952 Volkswagen Beetle Split Window

    Viveck and Zita Goenka

     

    Rolls-Royce Class 

    1939 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith by James Young

    Gautam Singhania

     

    Bentley Class 

    1949 Bentley Mark VI Saloon by Hooper & Co.

    Yohan Poonawala

     

    Preservation Class 

    1947 Packard Deluxe

    Kamal Shahuani

     

    Jaguar-Daimler Class 

    1965 Jaguar E-Type Series 1

    Aditya Malik

     

    Indian Heritage Class

    1957 Studebaker President

    Ranjeet Pratap

     

    Pebble Beach Participants 

    1930 Stutz Series M Speedster

    Diljeet Titus

     

    MG Class

    1950 MG YT

    Daman Thankore

     

    Copyright (c) Autocar India. All rights reserved.

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