Classic collectibles

Around 45 iconic cars produced between 1970 and the early 2000s delighted motoring enthusiasts as they wound their way from Sofitel Hotel in the Bandra Kurla Complex to Worli Seaface and back on October 31, 2021. The first Turtle Wax Modern Classic car rally was "more than just an event,” said Perseus Bandrawalla who curated the Sunday morning program.
"Modern Classics are an endearing blend of old school engineering and (almost) modern electronic precision. These cars are not only immensely collectible, but also very involving to drive. Many of us have grown up dreaming about them,” added Bandrawalla who had brought in a BMW E30 jointly owned by him and Hormuzd Sorabjee, editor of Autocar India. This Classic once belonged to the late Jehangir Nicholson, renowned art collector and ex sheriff of Bombay.

Modern Classics at Sofitel Hotel

Modern Classics are cars usually between 10 and 50 years old and include a variety of body styles from coupes and sports utility vehicles to limited edition supercars. "In India, usually vintage cars get all the attention, but now we have an event that has spotlighted Modern Classics and it’s great to see them get the accolades they rightly deserve,” said Yohan Poonawalla whose two head-turners were a Mercedes Benz SLS AMG gullwing coupe and a Rolls-Royce Phantom drophead coupe Centenary Edition. There were additionally five Parsi owned cars at the Rally: Bombay Parsi Punchayet trustee Xerxes Dastur’s Audi TT, well-known lawyer Erach Kotwal’s 1996 Mercedes Benz SLK200, motorsport enthusiast Neville Poonawalla with his 1985 Ford Mustang that he used to drag race in earlier days, adman Rayomand Patell’s Mercedes Benz SEC that he fondly calls "Vader;” and Zal Mavji’s 1973 MG Midget.
"I like to drive a car rather than be driven by it,” said publisher and car aficionado Viveck Goenka whose entries in the Rally included his 1977 Citroen DS and Jaguar E-type. He believes modern classics "make for a great combination for one can see the way technology has evolved right from the 1970s to today.” Other vehicles participating in "the first of its kind event in the country,” organized by Autocar India along with Shaman Youngtimers, included industrialist Gautam Singhania’s Ferrari 348 and Honda S2000 and Himanshu Gondal’s 1997 Dodge Viper. Standing alongside were a Honda NSX, Mazda Miata, Aston Martin DBS, Plymouth Barracuda, Alfa Romeo Berlina 2000, Chevrolet Corvettes, Ford Mustangs and Maseratis, stated Bandrawalla who is already busy organizing the next edition of the Mercedez-Benz Classic Car Rally that will be held in December 2021.
According to Sorabjee, "With the Modern Classics movement, we hope to unearth and showcase many jewels of the genre that have never been seen in public before.”
"As a brand that breathes auto culture, we are proud to be part of this movement that is rapidly gaining traction across the country,” said Sajan Puravangara, managing director of Turtle Wax India whose demo stall at the Sofitel Hotel attracted attention from both participants as well as other invitees.