It had to be seen to be believed. Over 100 old elegant beauties on four wheels lined up gracefully to display their glamour to car enthusiasts who had assembled in large numbers to witness the 51st Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally here on Sunday.

As the convoy of gleaming motors began moving ahead with grace, the assembled public clapped and waved. People were seen clicking photographs and selfies with vintage beauties.

Among the many vintage and classic cars lined up at Statesman House in Connaught Place was the classic John Morris (1914) fire engine, the oldest vehcile taking part in the rally and like every year the centre of attraction.

The rally was flagged off from Statesman House by Naresh Kumar, NDMC chairman. A spectacular rollout of classic, handpicked,vintage automobiles was on display.

The antique cars then traversed down Kasturba Gandhi Marg,India Gate, Purana Qila Marg,Mathura Road,Bhairon Mandir, Ring Road, Nizamuddin Bridge, Mayur Vihar Phase 1 and 2, Noida Film City and went to Greater Noida's Amity School and finally returned to the National Stadium where a prize distribution ceremony was held late afternoon. At the National Stadium,the car owners enjoyed their refreshments,lunch and enjoyed some time among themselves taking pictures with the old beauties.

The commissioner of Delhi Police, Amulya Kumar Patnaik was the chief guest of the event.

Later in the evening, a book, The Statesman 50 Classic Years of Vintage Glory was released by Dr Justice Dalveer Bhandari, Judge, International Court of Justice. R P Gupta, Chairman and Ravindra Kumar, Editor and Managing Director of The Statesman were also present at the bookrelease function.

Around 68 cars were inspected in the pre-judging process that took place on February 24-25 on the Modern School campus, Barakhamba Road, before the unveiling of the big event on Sunday.

Last year, at the 50th edition of the rally, 60-odd cars participated in it,which belonged to 1939 or were older. Around 40 cars were from the era of 1940s. This time, the number of participating cars increased to over 100. The first vintage car rally was organised by The Statesman in Delhi in 1964. Its huge success encouraged the organisers to take it to Kolkata in 1968.