Revving down the road of history at Chennai's vintage car show

CHENNAI: Rajesh Ambal from Kerala is proud of the fact that his 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe is a tangible symbol of history. The pre-World War II car, dubbed as the ‘first south Indian taxi’, had once ferried India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and even former Tamil Nadu chief minister K Kamaraj - an anecdote Rajesh loves to regale listeners with.

Several such collectors at the second edition of Heritage Rollers 2025 were eager to flaunt their prized, and therefore, well-loved (polished and shining just like new) automobiles. Vintage car lovers were in ecstasy as a large posse of classic wheels, including several epoch-making ones, like old Rolls-Royces, Mercedes, Jaguars, Fords, Studebakers, Cadillacs, Lancias, Buicks, and many more were driven into the event hosted by Historical Cars Association of India (HCAI) in Turyaa Chennai.

Many cars, many stories

The owner of a bold red 1950 MG YT, Daman Thakore, lovingly calls it ‘Lal Pari’. This four-door, four-seater ferried Thakore and his family across continents in 2023. Sharing the story that is sure to have broken some world record, he recalls, “We travelled from India to London by road, covering 14 countries and 13,500 km in 73 days. We faced mechanical issues almost every day, but that was part of the fun. 3 generations of my family were Lal Pari’s passengers on that road trip — me, my wife, my daughter and father.” Thakore also points out that while mechanics are easier to find, sourcing spare parts for yesteryear automobiles in India is a challenge.

Kirthan Pratap was a teenager when he started driving a 1959 model of the Triumph TR3, a classic British sports car that his father had purchased in Perambur. He even went on to get married in the shiny red car, he says laughing. 30 years later, he says it’s not as comfortable as a modern car but “it is still a pleasure to drive it.”

As the Triumph TR3 is almost 65 years old, some of its parts stop functioning from time to time. Hence, he has to regularly import spares from the UK, adds Kirthan.

New to the vintage car game, Srinand Piedpet, who purchased a light olive green-coloured Buick Super 8 just a year ago, took his first long trip in the 1948-made automobile recently. “I drove the Buick Super 8 from Chennai to Bangalore in one stretch, reaching 100 km per hour without any rattling,” he says excitedly.

But the cars that caught the fancy of the younger generation who attended the event were the glossy blue 1949 Hudson Commodore owned by Ranjit Pratap, president of HCAI, and the Volkswagen Microbus (1971, 1972, 1974 models in various shades). Both vehicles were anthropomorphised as ‘Doc Hudson’ and ‘Fillmore’ in the popular Disney Pixar ‘Cars’ film trilogy.

Speaking about why such vintage car showcase events are held, Ranjit Pratap says, “Youngsters need to see and admire these cars to consider owning and maintaining them. That is my whole aim, to propagate the value of heritage cars,” he tells DT Next. Admiring the collection on display at the event, actor Arvind Swami, who was the chief guest, praises, “The owners have given great attention to detail in restoring them and making them road-worthy. This is commendable, and I hope everyone takes the time to understand the history behind them. Unlike modern cars, these vehicles have a story to tell,” he notes.