Around 150 vintage and classic cars are expected to take part in the 53rd The Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally, scheduled to be held at the Eastern Command Sports Stadium, Fort Williams on 21 January.

Addressing a media conference Mr Suman Bhattacharya, senior vice-president of The Statesman Group said 139 vintage and classic cars have registered till date. Of these, there are 42 vintage cars and 9 vintage motorcycles, 53 classic cars and 35 classic two wheelers. He expected that the number of cars would go up. The Ford car which was used by the British editors of The Statesman will be on display. The Dodge Kingsway used by the Commissioner of Police is likely to be displayed at the rally.

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He said in view of the half-marathon, which will be organized by the city police on 21 January, the Vintage and Classic Car Rally will be flagged off at 11am. He said the route of the rally will be announced on the day of the rally. The rally route has been prepared meticulously to ensure that the old cars do not face any problem in completing the 30km route. The tram tracks, flyovers are avoided and the city police have approved the route submitted by The Statesman.

Mr Govinda Mukherjee, business head of The Statesman said no fees are taken from the participants. The Statesman wants to ensure that the old car owners get a forum to exhibit their prized possession and take part in a rally. He said car shows are held in the city but The Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally is the oldest in the country. In 1964, the rally started in Delhi and the Kolkata rally started in 1968.

Shekhar Sengupta, editor Dainik Statesman said the rally has become a cultural tradition of the city. He said the rally has created amazing enthusiasm among the younger generation.

Tarun Goswami, coordinating editor of The Statesman talked about some of the famous cars that will take part in the rally. A 1906 Renault will be the oldest car in the rally followed by Stoewer. The Plymouth once owned by Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and a Triumph owned by Jackie Shroff will take part in the rally. A century old two wheeler Panther Slope will be a star attraction.

Debashis Das of Dainik Statesman conducted the press conference which was held at the Kolkata Press Club.