Back to classics: Vintage cars wow enthusiasts at city club
Times of India | 12 January 2025
12 Kolkata: Around 90 vintage and classic cars adorned the Lake Club grounds on Sunday at the fourth edition of the EIMG Concours d'Elegance organised by Eastern India Motoring Group. The star attractions of the show were nine Rolls Royce and a Bentley. Keeping them company was a century-old 1925 AC Royal owned by Yogesh Agarwalla.
The 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe, once driven by singer-composer Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and now owned by S K Lahiri, was another beauty competing in the EIMG Concours. Fondly referred to as ‘Nilu', the car has been meticulously maintained till date. A rare 1948 Bentley Mark 6 owned by Azam Monem made its Concours debut this year while Saurjya Pratim Mitra's restored 1937 Ford 7W10 returned to the event.
A 1963 Triumph Spitfire, once owned by Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff, has been a popular car in the Kolkata circuit, much like its owner Saikat Dutta. A Ford Anglia whose reference one gets in J K Rowling's ‘Harry Potter' evoked admiration from young and old visitors alike. Once owned by footballer Subhas Bhowmick, this car is the prized possession of Amritendu Roy at present.
"It was a great show with some of the best vintage and classic cars on display. In the line-up were two cars that had been seized from the opposition Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971," said Lake Club joint hony secretary Debabrata Datta
Other vehicles that participated include a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III owned by Raja Mookerjee, Avik Naha's 1948 Buick Super 8, Siddharth Swarup's 1947 Wolseley 14, Sarmistha Hazra's 1965 Hillman Imp, Prithvi Nath Tagore's 1958 Mercedes-Benz 180 A, a well-maintained 1964 Standard Herald owned by Subhajit Kumar, and Sarojesh Mukerjee's 1959 Ford Zephyr.
Some immaculately restored Rolls-Royces along with a rare 1934 SS1 Tourer belonging to restorer and collector Shrivardhan Kanoria were also on display. Kanoria is also the driving force behind the show.