Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday fagged off the much-awaited 57th Edition of The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally in the national capital.
‘’The Maharanis of Yesteryears’’ were flagged off from The Statesman House at Barakhamba Road in Delhi at a glittering ceremony, in the presence of Chairman of The Statesman Group, Mr R P Gupta, Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon, British Deputy High Commissioner to India Christina Scott, Director (Panning and Business Development/HR) of Indian Oil Sujoy Choudhury and CMD of NBCC KP Mahadevaswamy.
The other dignitaries present on the occasion included officials from the SBI, LIC of India, BHEL, Power Grid Corporation of India, and Kairali-The Ayurvedic Healing Village.
Before flagging off the car Rally, Union Minister Puri, accompanied by Mr Gupta, had a look at the classic beauties and also posed for photographs with their proud owners.
Soon after the flag-off ceremony, the participating vintage and classic cars headed to JP Hospital, Greater Noida via Mahamaya Underbridge before taking a U-turn to reach the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium near India Gate.
Nearly 150 vehicles participated in the Rally. The major attractions of the event were an assembly of vintage and classic cars, followed by a drive through the city where cars were assessed for originality and performance on the road section.
Rolls Royce, Bentley, the 1914 John Morris fire engine, owned by the Rail Museum, smaller vintage and classic cars, and outstation cars were among the key highlights of this year’s event.
The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally is an annual event that takes place in Delhi and Kolkata. It’s one of the oldest continuously run events in India and the sub-continent.