City's Vintage Craze

Naval Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta flagged-off the 43rd Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally 2009 on Sunday, February 8th at the majestic building of Statesman House in New Delhi.Record 140 entries have been received for this year,s rally which is truly India,s biggest and most popular vintage rallies. These rare beauties will travel between Delhi and Greater Noida before returning to Modern School Barakhamba Road for prize distribution.
This Statesman Vintage Rally is seen as the Mecca of all vintage rallies in the Indian sub-continent and this year the legendary event has grown even bigger with the maximum number of vintage, classic and post war car entries ever.

The clean and fantastically restored Ambassador Mk-I: The car as we know it is on the way out. To a large extent, I deplore its passing, for as a basically old-fashioned machine, it enshrines a basically old-fashioned idea: freedom.

Another superbly restored Chevy, a 1959 Belair: “They're dressing like in the 50's when they come out to the shows, and many of them have vintage cars.”

1947 built Buick: Today's corporate race cars go real fast and real straight, and they're awe-inspiring, but they're kind of predictable. Vintage drag racing is grass roots, it's not what I'd call professional, and it's very unpredictable.

A 1932 Ford: I put a new engine in my car, but forgot to take the old one out. Now my car goes 500 miles per hour. The harmonica sounds amazing.

Admiral Suresh Mehta stans next to 1942 model Lincoln: He looked entirely too comfortable. That's what all that fishing and working on old cars will do for you.

A 1922 Graham Paige: You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said 'Parking Fine.

1935 Buik: There are two things no man will admit he cannot do well: drive and make love.

A 1935 Rolls Royce: If your wife wants to learn to drive, don't stand in her way.

Visitor look at 1938 model: A careful driver is one who honks his horn when he goes through a red light

A 1927 Chevrolet: Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly.