As The Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally is going to be held on 21 January 2024, it is essential to get our readers acquainted with some new cars that will be taking part in the rally for the first time.
It is true that over the years, several groups have come up in Kolkata that are organising regular vintage and classic car shows.
It is important that many youngsters have shown keen interest in repairing and restoring Indian cars like the Ambassador, Fiat and Standard 10, and the organisers have opened a new section for them. Had these young people not been there, these cars would have been destroyed by now.
The Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally has saved the lives of many cars. They would have been grounded by now had this annual event not become a part of Kolkata’s history and heritage. Old cars are part of the city’s history.
It is unfortunate that there are no Pontiacs, Cadillacs or Minervas in Kolkata. Most of these cars have been sent to other cities. Kolkata’s skyline started changing in the 1990s, when many old buildings were pulled down and replaced by multi-story apartments.
The new apartments do not have enough parking space to accommodate the giants. This was one of the reasons why the old cars were sold to other cities where bungalow-type houses still exist. But it is good news that old cars that had been sold outside Bengal have started coming back to the city once again.
The car that we are going to discuss today is not a good-looking car. It is a part of English history. It had entered the Royal Palace in England before many premium cars.
It is a Lanchester LD-10. This is one of the three cars that continue to exist in India. Originally, this car belonged to Murari Laha of Thanthania Rajbari.
This car had remained grounded for many decades. Its resurrection has occurred with the magical touches of Mr Amitava Saha. The descendants of the original owner had given the car to many repairers who did not repair the vehicle but stole the parts and then returned the car to the Laha family. In 2017–18, the car came to Mr Saha’s house in Paikpara on a truck.
He found that most of the important spares had been missing. It was a tragedy that the guards at the main entrance of Rajbari, who used to greet the vehicle with Murari Laha on the steering wheel, remained mute spectators when they saw the favourite car of the owner being covered with a thick layer of dust being carried on a truck.
Mr Saha has imported many spares from England, and the car has been given a fresh coat of paint. It is now being used quite frequently. The car used to be driven with the registration number of Wales from 1946 to 1951. The car was brought to the city for an officer of the Commonwealth. The officer returned to England after the office was closed down in 1950.
The British government, after much persuasion, agreed to auction the vehicle.
Murari Laha was the only person who took part in the auction and bought the car for Rs 35,000. Lanchester has a long history. The car was manufactured in Coventry, England, and the owners were three brothers, Fredrick, Frank and George. The brothers were much ahead of their time and had manufactured electric vehicles way back in 1891.
They introduced power steering in 1906. The balancing at Lanchester was so fine that Sir Henry Royce copied the balancing system and introduced it in a Rolls Royce. The brothers got agitated and sued Sir Royce. Sir Royce lost the legal battle, and the brothers told him that he should have asked them, and they could have jolly well given him the unique technology.
The Lanchester LD-10 was manufactured in 1939. World War II started in September 1939, and the British government ordered that no manufacturer be allowed to produce passenger cars. At that point in time, 50 Lanchester LD-10s were ready for sale.
The manufacturer took 25 cars to the showroom, while 25 cars were kept in the factory. Unfortunately, the factory was devastated during a bombing operation by the German army. Mr Saha’s Lanchester LD-10 is one of those vehicles that survived after being taken to the showroom.
The car is connected to a police case. In the 1950s, the car met with an accident.
A speeding vehicle came out of Lalbazar, the headquarters of the city police, and suddenly came in front of Lanchester. Murari Lala could not control the car and hit the car in front. The car hit a lamp post. The car was being driven by the sister of a senior police officer.
The car was seized and kept in Lalbazar. Murari Lala got a letter from Lalbazar after a week, along with a cheque for Rs 220. The police authorities admitted the fault of the lady who was driving the car in an inebriated state, and Rs 220 was given to repair the vehicle.
This rare and historical vehicle will be a part of the Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally 2024 and is likely to be a head-turner because of its elegance and style.