Apart from the official government celebrations of Republic Day in Mumbai, it is the not-so-official ones in every building complex and club which has Mumbaiites take to the streets to celebrate. One such annual affair is the vintage car and bike rally by the Vintage & Classic Car Club of India (VCCCI). Like every year, on Republic Day and Independence Day, this year too, the Club will conduct a rally of old and beautiful cars and bikes in association with the Western India Automobile Association (WIAA). Nitin Dossa, Executive Chairman of WIAA, and Chairman of VCCCI says, &ldquoWe are excited to start the year with the Republic Day Drive. These vehicles hold a lot of relevance, and also create awareness about the advent of motorcars, and two-wheelers."
Republic Day Rally By Vintage And Classic Car Club Of India
If you are in Mumbai this Republic Day, drop in at Ballard Estate to catch the flag-off to the vintage car and bike rally
The Right Route
Be at Ballard Estate, south Mumbai, at 8 am for the flag-off of the rally of old beauties. These will take a route through and past Ballard Estate, Asiatic Library, Regal Cinema, Marine Drive, Babulnath Road, Peddar Road, Haji Ali, and Worli Sea face, and return to the WIAA at Churchgate. Therefore, you will have the opportunity to view these classic cars for long stretches of road, choose your spot and stick to it. The whole show will be over in about two hours. Approximately 100 vehicles will be a part of this drive, which, apart from marking Republic Day, also highlights all aspects of road safety.
Old But Still Golden
The oldest car participating is the 1930 Ford Model A belonging to Nishikant Raut, and the others in this category are the 1933 Austin 6 of 91-year-old S Dhabholkar, one of the first members of VCCCI, and the 1946 Buick Super 8 (an ex-Jaipur car) owned by Dinesh Lal. Like the 1936 Alvis Speed 25 belonging to Nishant Dossa, which won the Pre-War Classic-European class trophy at the sixth edition of the Cartier Concours d&rsquoElegance at Rambagh Palace in Jaipur in 2019. And also received the prestigious first runner-up award in the Maharaja Class at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d&rsquo Elegance held in San Francisco, USA these golden beauties continue to win accolades around the globe.
World&rsquos Best
The Vintage & Classic Car Club of India was founded in 1985 by Pranlal Bhogilal to champion the cause of preserving the rich automobile and motoring heritage of India. The Vintage & Classic Car Club of India is one of the oldest vintage and classic car clubs in India, and it has always championed the cause of preserving automobile and motoring heritage in India. The Club proactively helps members not only in acquiring vintage and classic vehicles but also in the restoration of these pieces of automobile heritage.
All In A Day
Once the rally is over, you can take a tour of south Mumbai, starting at any one of the rally route points, or head to Marine Drive for a stroll and a snack. Or, you could book yourself on a Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) bus tour from outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya (CSMVS) in Fort. You can find out more about the bus tour on the toll-free number 18002029930, from 0945 am to 0530 pm.
For more information on the car rally, check the VCCCI website.