Noteworthy cars from across four decades coursed through the city’s streets as part of the second edition of the Modern Classic Rally that featured over 55 cars produced between 1970 and the early 2000s, along with some rare supercars over a decade old.
The rally was flagged off from the Grand Hyatt Mumbai by MLA Adv Ashish Shelar on Sunday, March 19, and the participating cars were driven in formation from BKC to the Worli Seaface and back. Automotive enthusiasts lined the route, eagerly clicking photos of the veritable procession of iconic cars. These included American muscle cars such as the Mustang Mach 1 and the Pontiac Firebird to British cars such as the Aston Martin DBS, Jaguar E-type and Bentley Brooklands, to memorable Japanese machines such as the Nissan R33GTR and Mazda MX5 Miata. Other cars that attracted attention included Mercedes-Benz coupes and roadsters, the Citroen DS, the very rare Ferrari Mondial and the super exotic Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. SUV fans were treated to time-tested off-roaders like the first-generation Range Rover, Nissan Patrol and Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series. Prominent collectors from across the country such as Viveck Goenka, Samit Hede, Gautam Singhania, and Pratapsinh Gaekwad participated in the rally, which also featured cars belonging to well-known car collector Yohan Poonawalla.
The Modern Classic rally is emblematic of the rapidly growing appreciation for these cars among collectors in the country, said rally curator Perseus Bandrawalla. “These are cars whose posters adorned our walls while we were growing up. And many decades later, their appeal has only increased. Modern classics are an endearing blend of old-school engineering and (almost) modern electronic precision, and we are glad to note that their popularity has been growing with each passing year,” said Bandrawalla.
