Vintage cars of Kolkata – the glory of yesteryears

  • Aristocratic Bengalis dwelling in the erstwhile capital of the British monarchy, developed a passion for cars due to their proximity with the colonizers from the early part of the past century. Descendants of these traditional families (bonedi bari) maintain these treasure troves with immense pride and effort till today. 
  • Presently Kolkata has retained almost 200 of them. 
  • Many owners were forced to sell off their cherished possessions when confronted financially. The new owners restored these vehicles out of sheer passion. 
  • As stated by an organiser of one of the prestigious vintage car rallies in Kolkata, “These classic-beautifies are treated as heirlooms in Kolkata with entire families getting involved. It is this passion that tints Kolkata’s affair with vintage cars in an unlikely amateurishness, in comparison to other parts of India”.
  • Interesting anecdotes exists related to the vintage cars. The legendary Bose Family, known for their fascination for vintage cars (owner of 9 such glories), procured an Auburn Tourer from the Debs of Sovabazar Rajbari in return of a 10 kilo pot of rabri (delectable Bengali desert from the iconic Nalin Chandra Das & Son) as the original owners refused to put a price-tag to their precious possession.
  • The archives of The Statesman give another interesting story —Pradyumnu Mullick, a wealthy north Kolkata babu clad in the traditional dhoti, was slighted by the manager of the Rolls-Royce showroom and ended up importing six Rolls for Rs 50,000 each. The manager needless to say, was sacked.
  • As per belief the first car was brought to India in 1897 by a resident of Calcutta brought the first car to India (though the claim could not be verified independently).
  • The English daily Statesman still organise one of the well-known rallies (The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally) during the foggy winter mornings - its Kolkata chapter began in 1968.
  • The Eastern India Motoring Group (EIMG) and Automobile Association of Eastern India (AAEI) have also organised a classic car rally. Car enthusiasts flock these car shows and participants from Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh also grace the events. Rolls Royce Limousine, rare Auburn, an array of Jaguars, Studebakers, Dodges, Hillman, Adlers, Stoewers, Bentleys, Daimlers, Morris Minors and Baby Austins ply over the streets of Kolkata while spectators marvel in awe.
  • Kolkata’s oldest car is owned by Shrivardhan Kanoria whose treasures include Ford Model T, (one of the earliest mass-produced iconic cars from the early 20th century), the 1906 Renault Frères, with wooden wheels and kerosene lamps. He describes his possession as an Edwardian car preceding the vintage tag; a car belonging to the transition period between horse-drawn carriages and motor cars. 
  • The adrenalin rush generated by these glories led to the formation of CDC club (Classic Drivers of Calcutta) in 2017. The 50 members of the club ride around the city in 140 vintage cars on weekends and not just let them weather away unused in garages. Souvik Ghose Chaudhuri, Prithvi Nath Tagore and Rupak Ghosh started motivating others to conserve the vintage cars and end the monopoly of smugglers illegally selling automobile parts.
  • The Wanderer W24 Sedan built in 1937 by Auto Union (Germany) was used by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose during his great escape from his ancestral in 1941 from his ancestral home in Bhowanipore (Kolkata). The car is a four door sedan and has been restored in 2016 by German automobile manufacturer Audi along with car restorer Pallab Roy. The renovated car was unveiled by the ex-president of India, Sri Pranab Mukherjee, on the occasion of the 75th year of Netaji’s “Great Escape”.
  • The 1947 Chevrolet Fleet Master State Sedan formerly owned by Karni Singh, the last Maharaja of Bikaner and the Studebaker Presi the only surviving car of Kamalaranjan Roy, the Raja of Cossimbazar are possessed by Roy.
  • The Rambler that Bengali Uttam Kumar used was later restored by Sanjay Ghosh; the The former West Bengal chief minister Siddhartha Sankar Ray undertook to retrieve a Sunbeam-Talbot car from a garage in Dhaka, Bangladesh was however unsuccessful.
  • It’s a pity that Rabindranath Tagore’s Humber has been stagnated at Rabindra Bharati Campus since 1933. The dire need for its restoration on road remains.
Images from Calcutta Club and CDC organized Display of Heritage Vehicles to mark the World Heritage Week























References

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/81618419.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

https://www.nkrealtors.com/blog/kolkatas-passion-classic-vintage-cars-yesteryears-today/

https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/XWRpief9LX2bESjatP5tXI/Every-vintage-car-tells-a-story.html

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