[anjan_c2007]

The 53rd Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally is being organised at Kolkata on Sunday, 21st January, 2024. They had only recently celebrated the Golden Jubilee and the event already into the 53rd year this time around.



A Facebook link to their page here:-

https://www.facebook.com/thestatesma...ibextid=ZbWKwL

There was no V&C Rally by The Statesman in Kolkata in 2021 owing to the pandemic. The 2020 rally was however luckily just on time on 19th January and soon after by mid February 2020, the pandemic played spoilsport in almost every arena.

[anjan_c2007]

The Statesman Vintage and Classic car rally promises cars with a rich history this time. Mr Suman Bhattacharya, Sr Vice President, The Statesman, who is at the helm as organiser announced that the congregation and display will be at the old venue viz.Eastern Command Sports Stadium of the Indian Army, at Fort Williams on 21 January. Mr Bhattacharya said 139 vintage and classic cars have registered till date. Of these, there are 42 vintage cars, 9 vintage motorcycles, 53 classic cars and 35 classic two wheelers. He expected that the number of cars would go up. The Ford car (a Ford Model T) which was used by the British editors of The Statesman will be on display. The Dodge Kingsway used by the Commissioner of Police is likely to be displayed at the rally. The cars and bikes for the rally will be flagged off to traverse an undisclosed route (to be made known on rally day) from this venue.

https://www.thestatesman.com/cities/...503257900.html

The fate and status for participation by Indian brands though is not clear, as there are some changes made by the organisers for this 2024 event, that could trigger the absence of Kolkata's iconic HM cars and maybe other Indian brands. As such, there are only a handful of surviving old HM, PAL cars and M&M jeeps in Kolkata. Participation in such a gala event provides enough oxygen and adrenaline to the respective owners to not sell or scrap them, but to keep on maintaining the beauties in top shape.

[IndrojitSircar]

Schedule and entry list

[IndrojitSircar]

Day 1 of judging at the statesman Kolkata 2024

[IndrojitSircar]

Cars from the Father & Son collection

[anjan_c2007]

Cars from the Judgment Day II at the Fort William Sports Stadium, Eastern Command Hqs, Indian Army.

1921 Rolls Royce and 1913 Gebueder Stoewer:




1938 Rolls Royce and 1937 Rolls Royce 25/30 hp:


1925-26 Rolls Royce:




Morris Oxford MO Series and Ford Model A:


Morris Oxford MO Series, Ford Model A , three Rolls Royces:




Morris Oxford MO Series, Ford Model A:




Ford Model A and Morris Oxford MO Series:


Ford Model A, 1925-26 Rolls Royce:


1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder):




Morris Oxford MO Series and Ford Model A:


1925-26 Rolls Royce:


Austin 10:




Morris Minor:


1913 Gebueder Stoewer:






















About the 1913 Stoewer featured above, courtesy The Statesman, Kolkata:-

The third oldest car participating in The Statesman rally a 1913 Stoewer and probably it's the only piece left in the world.

A story about the car , long yet interesting. The present owner of this car Pratap Choudhury's grandfather Iswar Chandra Choudhury went to England to buy a car which would be used in Midnapore. The roads in rural Bengal a century ago were in real bad shape and a heavy car was required to manouvere potholed , muddy stretches . Moreover the car had to cross a river to get to Malighati where the Iswar Chandra estate was situated . History has it that the cars he saw in England did not impress him so he moved to Germany , visited the Stoewer factory , saw the vehicle , found the mechanism simple and thought that such a sturdy car could negotiate the small and muddy roads of his hometown .It was dismantled and kept in six boxes and two German engineers and mechanics came to Kolkata to put it all together . The rest is history.
It once even ferried revolutionaries during the freedom struggle.

[anjan_c2007]

Cars from the Judgment Day II at the Fort William Sports Stadium, Eastern Command Hqs, Indian Army.

1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder):


1926 Studebaker Eskrine:


Morris Minor, 1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder) and 1926 Studebaker Eskrine:


Dash of the 1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder):


Austin 7, 1958 Mercedes Benz Ponton and others:


1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder:










1958 Mercedes Benz Ponton:










1926 Studebaker Eskrine:


Morris Minor:


Austin 16:




















1913 Gebueder Stoewer, 1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder) and 1958 Mercedes Benz Ponton:


1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder), Austin 7 and 1921 Rolls Royce:


1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder):

[anjan_c2007]

Cars from the Judgment Day II at the Fort William Sports Stadium, Eastern Command Hqs, Indian Army.

Fiat Elegant, Morris Minor and 1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder):






Fiat Elegant:














1936 Ford:


















1937 Rolls Royce 25/30 hp:




1938 Rolls Royce:

[anjan_c2007]

Judgment Day II (contd)

Chevrolet Fleetmaster and Triumph Spitfire:


Chevrolet Fleetmaster:




Triumph Spitfire (once owned by Jackie Shroff and earlier most likely by R.D. Burman):




Chevrolet Fleetmaster and Triumph Spitfire:




Triumph Spitfire and 1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder):




1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder):


1925-26 Rolls Royce:


















Chevrolet Fleetmaster:


Dash of Chevrolet Fleetmaster:


1938 Rolls Royce and 1937 Rolls Royce 25/30 hp:


Ford Model A and the 1938 Rolls Royce, 1937 Rolls Royce 25/30 hp and 1925-26 Rolls Royce:


1921 Rolls Royce and 1913 Gebueder Stoewer:


Morris Oxford MO Series and Ford Model A:


Morris Oxford MO Series:






Morris Oxford MO Series, Ford Model A and 1937 Rolls Royce 25/30 hp:


1938 Rolls Royce, 1937 Rolls Royce 25/30 hp and 1925-26 Rolls Royce:

[anjan_c2007]

Judgment Day II including the two wheelers (contd)

Ford Model A:






The Ford Model A (BYJ 1795) is Nagpur registered and is now here in Kolkata.

1937 Studebaker Dictator and 1928 Studebaker Eskrine:


Morris Oxford MO Series and Ford model A:


Dash of Morris Oxford MO Series:


1937 Opel Super 6 (cylinder), Austin 7 and 1921 Rolls Royce:


Vespa 150:










Rajdoot GTS (Bobby):


Matchless and Rajdoot GTS (Bobby):


Two Matchless:


Ariel, Matchless, Rajdoot GTS (Bobby) and Matchless:








The above three images are of Mr Suman Bhattacharya, Sr Vice President, The Statesman Group and is Captain of the event. Despite all his personal touches in every department concerning this rally and many more previous ones and despite his very rigid schedules, he maintains a very cool demeanour. He took off for a few minutes to pose for these photos. But between the brief photo session, he took a small break to tell the person who was managing the music blaring audios not to stray into playing contemporary Western Pop hit tunes. He insisted that the SJ (Statesman Jockey) fella aired only Pop Classics from Jim Reeves, Don Williams, Englebert Humperdinck, Kenny Rogers, John Denver and so on. The SJ followed the Captain's command ever after.

[V.Narayan]

Another year, another Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally and another wonderful thread by D-Member @anjan_c2007. what a delightful way to start the day by ogling non-stop.

Thank you Brother for posting this thread with all the effort you took over the photos.

A bevy of beauties. Each exquisite in its own unique way and a treasure for the nation.

The above three images are of Mr Suman Bhattacharya, Sr Vice President, The Statesman Group and is Captain of the event. Despite all his personal touches in every department concerning this rally and many more previous ones and despite his very rigid schedules, he maintains a very cool demeanour.

He looks the part to the tee. :-)

Dear Moderators, is there any way the names of each of these cars can be inserted under the respective photos.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

He looks the part to the tee. :-

Dear Moderators, is there any way the names of each of these cars can be inserted under the respective photos.

He looks the part to the tee.

The Rally pass issued by The Statesman - also vintage. Its an Army campus and hence entries of persons are recorded at the main entry gate called "George Gate".

Thanks, for liking the images and the posts Mr Narayan. Yes, indeed I have it on my mind- the car names will be posted soon, after I settle down on my desktop.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Dear Moderators, is there any way the names of each of these cars can be inserted under the respective photos.

Thanks to @Aditya, Moderator who has meticulously edited post #6 to 10 by pasting the make and model names of the car's, whose photos were posted. I had mailed him the details known to me to the best of my knowledge.

Continuing the posts from the Rally Day 21.01.24 :-





















Featuring the 1937 Rolls Royce 25/30 hp that is a recent import from its homeland the U.K.. It was on display at the Rally venue.

Some details about this beauty:-

https://www.handh.co.uk/news-item/a-...530-limousine/















Above images the decked up Rally venue for D-Day and photos of a Ford Model A with its BYJ registration of Nagpur.