New Delhi, 13th December 2022: Lighting the streets of Delhi with rare sights of classic automobile beauties, 21 Gun Salute Concours d’Elegance 2023 is now passing the torch to Lukshmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara, Gujarat. The elegant yesteryears beauties would be exhibited in the royal Lukshmi Vilas Palace of Vadodara which flaunts the rich long-lived history and culture of India. In the last 10 years, the Concours has gained worldwide recognition and thus, become a golden opportunity to admire the glorious years of motoring history in the backdrop of Indian heritage. Organizing all previous vintage car rallies & Concours in Delhi, now 21 Gun Salute Concours d’Elegance aims to spread its wings to proudly promote India’s rich heritage and history by setting up the set in a royal demeanor at Vadodara, Gujarat.
The tenth edition of 21 Gun Salute Concours d’Elegance is greeting the new year by showcasing vintage & classic, rare and magnificent automobiles of the past with 3 days of motoring extravaganza i.e., from 6th to 8th January 2023.
On 6th January, Asia’s most anticipated and talked about automobile event will have more than 200 International and National vintage engines, automotive enthusiasts, dining, and entertainment inaugurating the charisma of the event. 7th January will be D-day for car enthusiasts and aficionados as the judgment of automotives by renowned international judges will take place. 8th January, the last of the event will end with a bang as the Grand Award Ceremony and Best of Show & Category Awards will take place.
On 5th January, 75 vintage cars will receive an extravagant flag-off at the historic Lukshmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara, and wheel to The Statue of Unity- the tallest and most magnificent statue in the world to commemorate 75 Years of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Historic drive making it the most luxurious royal expedition.
The 21 Gun Salute Concours d’Elegance 2023 will draw 200 vintage and classic Indian marques. 25 International cars, 120 veteran bikes, and Maharaja cars are being exhibited in the Concours. Vintage and Classic Cars from USA, Switzerland, Belgium, and France are also joining the competition of the finest. This year’s panel of judges includes 35 international judges who are renowned motoring and fraternity experts and will travel from all over the world to judge as connoisseurs of cars, beauty, taste, and design. A car collector’s assemblage is incomplete without a Maharaja Car, making India the top-tier heritage motoring destination for collectors from around the world. The Maharajas and their magnificent motoring cars have a unique place in automotive history, attracting visitors worldwide.
This rare salute to the spirit of motoring will showcase some of the finest and most incredible, and rare cars in the world namely the 1948 Bentley Mark VI Drophead Coupe, 1932 Lancia Astura Pininfarina, 1930 Cadillac V-16, 1928 Gardner roadster, 1911 Napier, etc. Rare cars from Veteran and Edwardian classes in which the oldest car participating in the Concours being from 1902, pre-war American, pre-war European, post-war American, post-war European, many rare Rolls Royce and Bentley vintage beauties, Playboy cars, special cars from Bollywood, Tollywood, Mollywood and many more.
The spotlight of the Concours will be on the 1948 Bentley Mark VI Drophead Coupe, a single-design car specially made for HH Maharani Baroda will be grandly exhibited in the 10th edition of 21 Gun Salute Concours d’Elegance after it exited India in 1966. The vintage beauty has roamed around the world and sat in garages adorned by famous collectors from America and Spain but 21 Gun Salute successfully bought the Indian automobile honour and history back home in 2015 by Mr. Madan Mohan. Bringing back the spark and charm of the beauty was painstaking as its restoration required its parts, upholstery and even the shade of its original paint to be imported from London. Now, the Maharani car will bask in the glory it deserved for all these lost years.
The Concours is organised by the 21 Gun Salute Heritage & Cultural Trust in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and with the strong support of Gujarat Tourism to boost Incredible India! campaign. Lukshmi Villas palace sojourning the Concours is the most impressive Raj-era palace and the largest private home built to date, covering over 500 acres of land, four times the size of Buckingham Palace. Vadodara showcases Gujarat’s excellent artistic and architectural talents from both the present and past eras. It would be a huge step forward in generating interest in India and Gujarat among global tourists and establishing ourselves as a world-class Heritage & Motoring Tourism Destination. The attendees will receive a royal welcome from the Royal House of Baroda which has a long and illustrated history overflowing with patriotism, patronage, tradition, and Gujarati culture.
Mr. Madan Mohan, Chairman & Managing Trustee – of 21 Gun Salute Heritage & Cultural Trust said “It has been an absolute privilege to have overseen the development of what is now globally famous – The 21 Gun Salute Concours d’Elegance. The show has demonstrated rapid growth and has the potential to propel the image of host destination-India-to new heights as a heritage motoring fraternity but has also developed international significance. After setting Delhi-NCR as a stage in 2011, for the 10th edition of the 21 Gun Salute Concours d’Elegance, we aimed to lift up the diversely rich heritage and history provided by India. We are delighted to propel the exquisite tourism experience Gujarat offers and showcase the royal side of India through Vadodara’s rich heritage. The 2023 Concours will go down in history and help India establish itself as a global motoring tourism hub as nothing can beat the Indian hospitality, relaxed atmosphere, and fantastic vehicles in attendance.”
Being an automotive enthusiast collector Mr. Madan Mohan is passionate about preserving India’s automotive heritage, and the 21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally & Concours d’Elegance aims to help him achieve his goal of making India a World-Class Motoring Tourism Destination. He is the driving force behind this heritage motoring venture, which narrates the untold legacy of motoring as well as India’s rich cultural heritage, adding a new dimension to Heritage Motoring in India.
Since its first historic show in 2011, 21 Gun Salute International Concours d’Elegance has since been a prominent and recognized award and Concours automobile event helping to preserve and display the authentic history of cars. The show has grown rapidly and has the potential to propel the image of the host country, India, to new heights as a heritage motoring fraternity, but it has also gained international significance. The show has won awards at not one, but two prestigious events, including The Historic Motoring Awards 2018, London, and the Concours were named the ‘Most Innovative & Unique Tourism Product’ at the National Tourism Award (2016-2017), which was presented, by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The 2018 Historic Motoring Awards.
Pic Credit:rprnetwork