HELLO! India witnessed engines, elegance and enchantment of vintage cars by Lake Pichola

It was a spectacular weekend of viewing vintage wondercars that had weathered road time in another era, but were now treated like graceful dowagers, transported by trucks to the Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur. Cars from all over the country –Kashmir, Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Mayur Bhan, and even Qatar. 

Hosted by Arjun Oberoi of the Oberoi Group family and curated by Prince Manvender Singh, the event was graced by many renowned car collectors—from the Kanorias of Kolkata to Maharaja Himanshu Singh of Gondal, to ‘Bapji’ Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur; from Pratapsinh Gaekwad to the legendary Pranlal Bhogilal to Yohan and Michelle Poonawalla—to name some of the most recognisable collectors.

But the passion for cars, more than winning awards, appeared to be the real charm for most of the participants and attendees. This one could sense while talking to the car owners. One collector from Chennai, Rajesh Somasundaram, owner of a spectacularly restored Cadillac dating back to 1931 (a Pre-War American Classic), shared how he had found this beauty in a totally dilapidated state in a garage selling old cars in New Jersey. He not only brought it home and nurtured every part of it—mechanical and aesthetic—back to life, he even maintained an eccentric back seat called the Mother-in-Law seat!

The world of motorsports, car rallies and concours is filled with fascinating players—from the world’s rich and famous to sports commentators. We got a chance to learn much during the panel discussions, which featured the voices of Chief Judge Miss Sandra Button, Chairperson of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, speaking with experts like Formula One legend Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Michael Kadoorie, Giacomo Agostini, Jean Todt and Derek Bell, among other renowned historians, collectors and specialists.

Jackie Stewart repeatedly reminded the intimate audience that “motorsports was a death sentence for many stalwarts in earlier decades,” even as the Monaco Grand Prix attracted interest from Hollywood beauties like Liz Taylor and Brigitte Bardot, and saw actor James Garner—“a true racing enthusiast himself”—actually learning from Formula One racers Graham Hill and Jim Clark when he played a racer in the 1966 film Grand Prix. The film was shot extensively during the Monaco Grand Prix, using real-life racing footage.

It was a great idea to kick off the event with an early morning drive around Fateh Sagar Lake in vintage and rare classic cars. The owners proudly took to the wheel, driving through enchanting Udaipur, aware that they were far from maddening crowds and traffic. One had the privilege of hopping into a beautifully restored 1923 Rolls-Royce, driven by renowned Kolkata-based car collector Shrivardhan Kanoria. They had nine cars entered in the concours.

When we chatted, he shared, “This Rolls-Royce was bought by my grandfather from the royals of Uttarpara for a princely sum of 500 rupees! He restored it, and in 2012, I restored it again. So, being three generations old, it is not merely a car to us—it is like a family member.”

The blue Rolls-Royce had witnessed the romance of his parents, the birth of his sister in the 1970s, and his own birth in the 1980s. “That’s a lot of stories built around both a family and a Rolls-Royce’s journey!” he smiled.

Day two saw judges, guests, connoisseurs and car aficionados touring the concours grounds. While jury members walked around in pairs, checking the state of headlights and tail lights, listening to the sound of the engine, assessing the look and feel of the car, and even going under the hood to see how truly “healthy” a vintage Rolls, Cadillac, Bugatti or Ford was, the community of car aficionados focused on dialogues around legacy, craftsmanship and engineering.

The event also featured a riveting historic look at Indian fashion and the reclaiming of ‘the drape’ by Tarun Tahiliani, who made his presentation in the afternoon using pictorial and video material, while models walked around the ballroom in signature silhouettes. This preceded his evening fashion presentation, which also featured a lighter, more prêt-oriented collection, paradoxically titled OTT!

Rolex chose the occasion to launch its new boutique at the Oberoi Udaivilas property as well. The fashion presentation was followed by a gala dinner featuring live stations and possibly 101 desserts! The bar overlooked Lake Pichola, and the temperatures were just right for a celebration under the starry night sky.

All in all, the event reunited a global community of cars, motorsports and lovers of luxury in the scenic and magical environs of Udaipur, and will be remembered as a rich toast to the automobile and motorcycle—not always inventions of pure function, but celebrations of grace, endurance, romance and craftsmanship.