For a car enthusiast, and particularly a vintage car enthusiast, Sunday mornings are not when retro beauty aficionados sleep till the forenoon, but rather you find them during the wee hours of the morning, soaking in the first rays of the sun and revving through the Calcutta lanes. Vintage cars are not just an object of fascination but rather a testament to the progression of history, technology, artistic craftsmanship and the evolving automotive landscape. Vintage automobile wonders are treasures of the past but have seamlessly transcended into modern times, keeping the legacy and the legends of the automotive world alive.

The Statesman Vintage and Classic car rally has always earned a special place in vintage car enthusiasts’ lives for being the oldest car rally in Calcutta. And, while there are several automobile beauties that have permanently etched their name and have created a fan following, this year’s rally is geared up to unveil several never-before-seen retro wonders that will offer a rare peek into several automotive artistic craftsmanship. One such vintage beauty that guests and onlookers would get a glimpse at would be the 1951 Austin A40 Somerset, owned by Ranajit Gooptu, a passionate car enthusiast who has recently turned into a restorer himself, a passion he had quietly cherished since his younger days.

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The 1951 Austin A40 Somerset, under Ranajit’s care, is a fairly new car that has seen its fair share of bad days while lying neglected and uncared for, for almost 35-40 years. Lying behind the Dumurjala Stadium in Howrah, stationed near a pond with half of the body under the soil, some in the water and only a little bit visible, the car took almost close to two years to undergo complete restoration. “It was in such bad condition, my first impulse was to restore this car because this model has always played an integral part in my life and holds a rich significance as a part of my family legacy as well. During the month of May 2022, I ultimately got the chance to bring the car under my care,” said Ranajit Gooptu. The engine and the parts were separated from the main car body, and for Mr Gooptu it was extremely difficult to decipher the owner during the initial period. “After a long time, I got to know that an individual named Mr Das was the owner and that the car had undergone rough usage as visible,” stated Ranajit.

The Austin A40 Somerset had an extremely short production run, ranging for only two years, and was very much similar to the A30 saloon car, but had a separate chassis.

Hued in a deep Oxford Blue colour, Ranajit Gooptu undertook the daunting task of restoring the car to its original pristine look. From the valve, and piston to the neglected engine, everything was restored, parts were imported from London, and after a massive restoration project taking two years, the car was ultimately turned into a runner taking on Calcutta roads confidently.

This is not the first Austin A40 Somerset that Ranajit Gooptu had been acquainted with. A family that has always cherished these retro beauties, their crew of vintage automobiles come with a rich history with the 1951 Austin A40 Somerset acquired in 2022 being the newest addition. “My grandfather used to own a 1935 Ford C Model, and it’s still a part of our family, while my father used to have an Austin A8 and Austin A40 Somerset, and it was with the Austin 8 that I first started learning how to drive. And now after spending several decades in the telecom industry, I have given into my passion for vintage cars and have quit my career in the telecom industry that lasted for three decades and decided to open my own restoration workshop ‘Revive and Renew’,” said Ranajit Gooptu. Taking part in The Statesman Vintage car rally for decades, both the 1935 Ford C and the 1951 Austin A40 Somerset would be present in the ground to sweep everyone with a wave of the nostalgic past.