Diverse fleet of heritage cars offer visitors a thrilling trip through automotive history

Car enthusiasts flock to Puducherry for Heritage Car Display, showcasing 31 vehicles incl. 4 motorbikes. Cars from other cities brought by truck & driven in autocade. Oldest car on view 1926 Model T Ford. Rolls Royce, Buick limo, Fiat Millecento, Chevrolet, Plymouth & Ford Jeep on display. Event hosted by Historical Cars Association of India, supported by Dept. of Tourism. Chief Minister inaugrated show, attended by Tourism Minister.

An altogether different world was magically conjured up on the Promenade beach-front on Monday as a diverse fleet of heritage cars on the Goubert Avenue offered visitors a thrilling trip through automotive history.

Impeccably maintained by passionate hobbyists from across the country, the machines presented at the Heritage Care Display glistened as if they had just rolled out of an early 20th century car manufacturing facility.

The annual event hosted by the Historical Cars Association of India, supported by the Department of Tourism, was significantly upscaled this year to bring in car lovers from other cities other than Chennai and Bengaluru.

“The participation of collectors of heritage cars from other cities is a first for the exhibition,” said Zubin Songadwala, Chennai-based car enthusiast who has presented a yellow Mustang at the event.

In all, the exhibition featured 31 vehicles, including four motorbikes. Another difference this time was that the exhibits were presented by clubs/associations rather than individuals for the non-competitive event.

VS Kylas, secretary, Historical Cars Association of India, said the cars are usually classed as vintage (pre-War) and classic (post-War), with a new category of neo-classic to denote slightly older variants of modern cars.

The exhibits included Rolls Royce, Buick limo, Fiat Millecento, Chevrolet, Plymouth and Ford Jeep. Ambassador and Premier Padmini were also on display. The oldest car on view, though, was a 1926 Model T Ford owned by Ranjit Pratap, Association president.