Curated by the renowned Indian automotive historian, Manvendra Singh of Barwani, the fifth edition of the Cartier Concours d’Elegance was held at the historic Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad.
Each car exhibited at the event was hand-picked by Manvendra Singh of Barwani and judged based on parameters such as originality and current condition.
The judges, led by HRH Prince Michael of Kent (Chairman), included, Chief Judge Simon Kidston (an authority on heritage automobiles and judge at Pebble Beach), John Fasal (renowned Rolls-Royce historian and expert on Indian Rolls-Royce), Sandra Button (Chairman of the Pebble Beach Concours), Jean Todt (President of FIA), Giacomo Agostini (15-time world champion motorcycle racer), Lord March (Founder of Goodwood Festival of Speed), Prof. Gordon Murray (award winning F1 designer), Peter Stevens (renowned automobile designer), the Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie (leading industrialist), and Yasmin le Bon (former supermodel), to name a few.
The Best of Show car prize was bagged by the 1914 Wolseley 30/40 HP owned by Shrivardhan Kanoria, and the Best of Show motorcycle was a 1947 Indian Chief owned by Arjun Oberoi.
Manvendra Singh made it clear, “For each edition, we try to raise the bar higher by introducing new display categories and elements that augment the visual montage of India’s automotive legacy.”
This year’s edition witnessed the introduction of the very special FIVA Preservation Award, a big step forward for the painstaking efforts of Indian collectors, along with the addition of a new and exciting category named Américain Aérodynamique Class which showcased rare cars like the Chrysler Imperial Airflow, Hupmobile Model J and the Cord Model 810.
The Exhibition Class, for cars not in competition, showcased past winners or even cars recently imported to India and restored abroad. The fabulous gold-plated Daimler 45 HP Special, made for wealthy businessman Sir Seth Hukumchand, with Windovers coachwork was one such star. The car was painted gold with gold plating on all exposed parts. It was refurbished in 1936 in Coventry for $7,000. The most expensive refurbishment of its time, as reported by Time. The Nizam of Hyderabad’s 1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Throne Limousine, that won Best of Show in 2011 at the Cartier Concours d’Elegance in New Delhi, was prominently displayed too.
A rare 1910 Wolseley–Siddeley 50/60 HP, owned by H. I. H. Princess Esra of Hyderabad, was one of 16 cars ever made, and probably the only surviving one was also part of the Exhibition Class. Walking around the show, it was hard not to bump into other spectacular motors, each with its own story to tell.
Amal Tanna’s 1936 Chrysler Imperial Airflow, winner of the Américain Aérodynamique Class, was the first American car designed using a wind tunnel. In fact, Orville Wright of the Wright brothers had served as a consultant.
A bit further ahead was the incredible 1914 Benz 8/20 Runabout which is owned by a single family and is the oldest known Mercedes-Benz in India. Its restoration took over two-and-a-half years and the owners still have the original bill for the car.
Towards the centre of the display was the stunning and rare 1922 Moon 6-40 owned by Madan Mohan of Delhi. The car was recently bought from the grandson of the company’s founder in the US.
The FIVA Preservation Trophy winner was a 1921 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, owned by Yuvraj Kesri Singh of Wankaner. Originally a tourer by Maythorn, the car was rebodied by James & Co. of Bombay in 1935 into a more contemporary Tourer. The car has always been owned by the royal family of Wankaner.
The prize for the Best in Class Motorcycle - Post War went to a 1947 Indian Chief owned by Arjun Oberoi.
The Indian Heritage Class winner was Viveck Goenka’s stunning 1957 Hindustan Landmaster Traveller based on the Morris Oxford Traveller built by Hindustan Motors in India. What made it unique was that the wood work was all locally done.
The Rolls-Royces were in a class of their own quite literally.
Manu Raman’s 1936 Rolls-Royce 25/30 HP limousine, with Thrupp & Maberly coachwork, won the Pre-War Rolls-Royce Classic Class, while Inder Krishnamum’s 1921 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Torpedo Tourer, with Barker coachwork, snapped by the Rolls-Royce Grand prize. Originally owned by the Raja Sahib of Korea (currently spelt as Koriya, it was a princely state of the British Empire of India), the car was discovered in 2002, locked in the palace garage. The car has only been painted and re-upholstered and is otherwise original in every other aspect.
Viveck Goenka’s 1936 Cord with its hidden headlamps and coffin nose was a crowd favourite. An interesting fact is that the car also had a four-speed electrically selectable semi-automatic transmission and front-wheel drive, all working to perfection.
In total, he had seven cars on display, the largest number by a single owner at the show. The Goenka collection took three Class wins, including the prestigious Mark Shand Adventurer Trophy for the Studebaker Conestoga estate previously owned by the Maharaja of Bikaner. The car is fitted with a special search light for hunting.
Mumbai’s Amit Sapre’s 1949 Bristol 400 won the prestigious Cartier Resurrection Cup. One of 487 built and the only known Bristol in Asia, it was built up from almost a bare chassis.
The Best Car of the Show was the 1914 Wolseley 30/40 HP owned by Shrivardhan Kanoria. The car had earlier languished in an ashram for years, and the current owners only got it because they promised to renovate the ashram. One of the reasons Kanoria’s car won was because of the sympathetic manner of the restoration of this 7.0-litre limo. Decades-old leather was used for example and instead of foam, he used packing material like coir for the authenticity. And what also must have helped to no end was that his Vickers-made straight-six was purring like a kitten.
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