[h14]

The first ever Vintage & Classic car show at Karaikudi happened on the 23rd of December 2017 and I was fortunate to have participated in the same.

Not many classic car events happen in TN outside of Chennai and hence this was a special event. Even more special since this was at Karaikudi which is a heritage town in itself! Popularly known as Chettinad, Karaikudi was long back declared as a Heritage town by the Government of Tamil Nadu primarily for the massive and wonderful houses in that region.

I first came to know about this event in the last week of November and was very happy that the dates were comfortable for me to participate. I was planning to take my FIAT Super Select, but one day before the event I changed my mind and decided to take my Mark II Amby since the paint of the SS was showing age and also that I had been longing for a drive in the Amby.

The Amby has been doing good with frequent city drives. So it was trip ready. I was not happy with the number plates that I was having at present and hence decided to change that. With just one day to go for the start of the drive from Coimbatore, I had my friend Arun to help me get the plates. He sat late in the night and worked on some fonts and styles. He suggested acrylic plates with laser cut letters and suggested we can make it look like the good old hand made ones of the past. We decided on the font and placed the order and we got the plates around 8PM.

The plates came out well, and we got it fixed with all smiles! So after over a decade, the Amby was set to embark upon a proper highway drive! What best can a car ask for than being driven. I was nervous as well as excited and as always had a sleepless night!

Myself along with BHP'ian drkannant were supposed to start around 7am from Coimbatore and join the Kerala team at Sulur and then gather along with the Palladam team at Palladam and then proceed to Karaikudi via Karur & Trichy. Batch 2 from Ooty and Coimbatore were planning to start post lunch.

We started from Coimbatore and the mille already started turning heads.



We reached Sulur and were waiting for the KL team to join.



The KL team was delayed and so we proceeded towards Palladam and pulled over for breakfast where the Morris Minor and Baby Hindustan joined us. The 4 cars then proceeded further with the KL team about 30mins behind us.

I had to pick up my friend Dhans at Kangeyam. So we decided to gather in Kangeyam and then proceed together.

Waiting for the other cars in Kangeyam







Naveen arrived with his Willys MB followed by Mr. Rajesh with his Chevy Impala and Mr.Sivakumar with his FIAT Super Select.





We decided to have the next stop at Karur by-pass and started off from there





Post the tea break at Karur, it was non stop to Trichy where we stopped for lunch! We stopped at Sangeethas in Trichy which has ample parking. The restaurant as always was crowed and we had to wait it out for our turn.

An Interesting and weird menu welcomed us.



But we stuck to the traditional meals



After the scrumptious meal, we set off towards Pudhukotai

Fuel stop on the outskirts of Trichy



It rained for a while



On the verge of reaching Pudhukottai







Following the Mille. What a sight!



The cars coped up beautifully and all of us had a wonderful drive. We stopped once again for a pic before the sun called it a day!

The cars


The cars with the drivers




All of us reached Karaikudi moments after sunset without breaking a sweat and quietly occupied the parking slots.

The Mille got a spot next to the Chevy Independence. The Chevy belongs to Mr Boopathi who drove all the way from Salem.



We guys occupied the area adjacent to the Amby OHV



The Impala got the portico



The Humber hawk too had arrived shortly after we guys reached.



Few others from Erode and Tirupur areas had also reached and we spent a good couple hours ogling at the cars with endless chit chat before retiring to our rooms for the day!

[h14]

Next morning we arrived at the parking spot around 7 am only to see heavy footfall already. The local population had wandered into the locality to see the cars. Most owners were already washing and cleaning and it seemed we were late. Wasting no time, we started to clean and prepup our cars too!

Few media channels were also in and they had already started covering the event! It was festive out there!

The independence was all set


Mr. Rajinikanth's Dodge Caravan from Ooty




Abhinandhan's fleet master from Coimbatore




The Humber Hawk! Unsung hero of the show. It was a beauty!






There came a Landy too!


Special mention about the kid who rode this Lamby all the way from Calicut! A distance of about 450kms one way!


The organizer Mr.Lakshmanan's Morris Minor.






















The Plymouth Suburban Custom landed from Kerala. Another immaculate car!


The Americans were ready to lead the drive!

[h14]

The drive

The drive around the town was flagged off by Mr. Ramanathan Vairavan. More about him here. There was tremendous support from the traffic police who controlled and diverted the traffic peacefully. People gathered in large numbers to catch a glimpse of the classics.































Photo credits to the event photographer and the organizers.

[h14]

The short drive ended at the Pandiyan Cinemas ground where the cars were parked for public display till 5PM. The sun was blasting down, but that did not reduce the footfall by any means and the crowd was only growing.

I hardly clicked any pics. These pictures are from the event photographer and the organizing team.





























































Photo credits to the event photographer and the organizers.

[h14]

Pictures Continued...





























































Photo credits to the event photographer and the organizers.

[h14]

Pictures continued...





























































Photo credits to the event photographer and the organizers.

[h14]

Pictures continued...







Attachment 1711387

















Some pictures clicked by Dhans

































The event concluded around 5PM with an elaborate prize distribution ceremony. Each and every participant was awarded with participation certifications and shields. The organizers did a terrific job and the expectation has grown two folds for the next year event.

[h14]

Kanadukathan - The heritage town.

The next day was spent exploring the Chettinad region. One group travelled out in a bus seeing the places, few started back to their hometowns while myself, Dhans and Hari decided to wander into Kanadukathan and get some pictures.

At the Lakshmi Palace


















There are many such houses in this place and one can easy spend an entire day watching these.




The drive back home

We started the drive back home on Christmas day. Hari and Dhans where bound to Chennai in the Linea and they gave me company till Trichy.

That's how they were sleeping in the hotel parking



Heading back home


Lunch Stop in Trichy



Back home. Safe & Sound. The Amby truly the comfort King on any road. Close to 700kms over 3 days and the Amby rocked!



A big thanks to the organizers for the wonderful event and even more to the participants from various parts of TN & KL who turned out in great spirit!

[Rudra Sen]

Mod note: Thread moved to Vintage Cars & Classics in India section. Thanks for sharing.

[sankar009]

The MSQ8969 left hand impala seems to be the one from Chennai
Nice to see its cut roof back in place.
Where is it located now ?

[KPS]

Thanks for sharing H14. Must have been a fun trip to visit such a beautiful place.

Wonderful to see the participation from across TN. Guess the whole KaraikudiTtown will talk about this event, well into the New Year.

This picture for me sums up this exciting event! It shows that the vintage car movement is getting stronger and it is wonderful for the next generation to be equally involved.



Wishing all enthusiasts a wonderful 2018

Cheers

KPS

[RGK]

Wonderful H14. It would have been a wonderful Christmas treat for auto enthusiasts in Karaikudi.
I think the hotel was Malar which at the entrance of Karaikudi. Why didn't you choose the shorter and quicker route via Dharapuram-Dindugal-Tirupathur?.

[Mad Max]

Thank you for sharing. It's amazing that these cars are still not just surviving but in really good shape and ready to munch the miles.

I want to know about the kid who rode the Lamby. Crazy guy indeed. Love the Ambys in the collection. So well maintained.

[h14]

Originally Posted by sankar009

The MSQ8969 left hand impala seems to be the one from Chennai
Nice to see its cut roof back in place.
Where is it located now ?

It's in good hands in Palakkad.

Originally Posted by KPS

Thanks for sharing H14. Must have been a fun trip to visit such a beautiful place.

Wonderful to see the participation from across TN. Guess the whole KaraikudiTtown will talk about this event, well into the New Year.

This picture for me sums up this exciting event! It shows that the vintage car movement is getting stronger and it is wonderful for the next generation to be equally involved.

Wishing all enthusiasts a wonderful 2018

Cheers

KPS

Thanks! Agree with you. The next generation has already involved in full!

Originally Posted by RGK

Wonderful H14. It would have been a wonderful Christmas treat for auto enthusiasts in Karaikudi.
I think the hotel was Malar which at the entrance of Karaikudi. Why didn't you choose the shorter and quicker route via Dharapuram-Dindugal-Tirupathur?.

Thanks! It was Hotel Malar only where all the cars were parked. Some stayed there while others in Sathguru grand. We took the longer route since we felt the roads in this section are better suited to the classic cars.

Originally Posted by Mad Max

Thank you for sharing. It's amazing that these cars are still not just surviving but in really good shape and ready to munch the miles.

I want to know about the kid who rode the Lamby. Crazy guy indeed. Love the Ambys in the collection. So well maintained.

Thanks! I'm so sorry that I do not remember that guy's name.

[h14]

The 2018 edition is stated to be held on Dec 22nd at the same venue. Those interested to participate can contact the organisers directly. Contact information is available in the picture.