[karlosdeville]

Fantastic images John, truly enjoyable. thanks for sharing.

This article appeared in the Statesman today

[anjan_c2007]

John, hats off to you for your patience and perseverance. You have clicked and posted numerous beautiful pictures of the great event. As I said I could not be there this year, but the pictures made me feel I was there! I was so tempted that I shared these on my FB page. These are being liked by "n" FB friends and are also being shared! There were no pictures posted by anyone else till now. So is it "akla cholo re" for you John? Hopefully, they may come by soon as many, many viewers click and click. Not all are teambhp members BUT!

-The black, once doddering, Hudson is back in ship-shape in turquoise blue. The paint and chrome finish could have been better and more befitting for this rare car however!

-Found the elderly gentleman in his white spotless, dhoti-kurta on his pristine Austin Eight back again. He has been driving his car here I guess since many years! That's Love Eternal and Sublime for his car and for the rally. May he enjoy good health always and attend many, many more such rallies!



(from the 2011 rally-sorry for my picture quality)

- Was the red and black 1930's Plymouth seen this year? I could not sight it in the pictures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSovE2HZE5Q

-The line -up of the beauties waiting for the judgement in a queue, look simply splendid.

- The Tata Sumos, Scorpios, Indigos and other present day automobiles seen in the background are kill-joys on the otherwise beautiful snapshots. Believe these should be parked very far away from the main arena by the organisers.

- We find many, many Calcutta cars having found their new homes in almost all parts of India. WB and WG cars are quite commonly seen in many rallies all over India. Thats something like Car (Brain) Drain. But signs of some reverse "Car Drain" from other centres including Bombay to Calcutta, are evident through the pictures and that is encouraging.

Originally Posted by mbz180

Hi KPS,


About modification, there are Duesenburg Model J's fitted by world-renowned restorers with the shiny exhaust manifold pipes to mimic those originally fitted to the supercharged SJ's. Similarly, non-supercharged 1930s Mercs are fitted with exhausts to mimic the supercharged models. If you just think about an 80, 70 or 60 or even a 30-year-old car, I do not see anything wrong with accessories being added or some mods being made during the course of time by owners. As I said earlier, sure, those cars which are more original should and do sometimes receive more points but not everyone has the same goal.

Prithvi, here is a 1950 Buick Bob Metz edition.
This car was modded way back in time when it was new. The old B&W pictures can be seen in the link:

http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/car-of-...&rid=233046100

[travancore]

This looks very much like a late 1920's Phantom I engine.

Any confirmation of Chassis Number or car ID ? Thanks

[KPS]

Originally Posted by mbz180

Hi KPS,
Lastly, the Kolkata Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally is not a concours show by any stretch,.......... I used to think that the show was a concours, but because of the above reasons, I am of the firm view that it is not; it’s a celebration of old cars of all conditions belonging to proud owners from varied backgrounds with varied tastes.
These are my personal views and I have written only what I genuinely feel.

Hi Prithvi,

Your reply above in bold answers my question. In all fairness, each region has its own peculiarities which must be respected but cannot be above criticism.

My question was primarily because I was under the impression that judging is on the Concours lines. Hence, I had asked if owners declared that their cars are re-bodied/modified because in the absence of such declaration, it may not be fair game for all. In my personal opinion if a sedan in re-bodied as a roadster or a convertible, the owner should declare it to enable a level playing field for all. The Judges with this information should be able to take their decision whether to add or deduct points. Similarly, resuscitation should be given bonus points, but here again the onus should be on the owner to facilitate the judges with additional information on the extent of resuscitation, if he wants those additional points.

On the concours lines, I had also asked if modified cars should be allowed to participate for judging. In one KVCCC rally, a mini came with a santro engine. Judges will be at their wits end when they have many cars to judge and sudden appearance of such a car for judging harms the whole spirit and celebration. If a judge looses his cool, there is trouble for the next few cars coming for judging.

In KVCCC we have more or less stopped judging cars and hence in rallies in other places, where judging does happen, I just try and understand the standards applied.

I do hope that I given my personal views in the proper spirit of the judging in this rally.

Cheers

KPS

[mbz180]

Originally Posted by travancore

This looks very much like a late 1920's Phantom I engine.

Any confirmation of Chassis Number or car ID ? Thanks

Attachment 1038566

I am told by the the owner that this is indeed a late Phantom I engine, but no info about the coachbuilder, chassis nor engine no.

The story of the car is quite interesting. The late Mr. Hari Agarwalla was gifted a P I chassis by a close friend, sans engine and engine cowl. A four seater tourer body from another P I without chassis or engine was acquired and then, the Late Mr. Shashi Kanoria, bought a P I engine from an RR which had been scrapped in Kolkata's Mullickbazar. The family had also collected numerous RR parts over the years and a P I engine cowl was also found. So all the essentials were in place for a re-construction of a P I.

However, during the 1970s, the tourer body was not attended to and the woodwork rotted away. The mechanicals are in poor shape and the engine has seized. I have seen the radiator grill for the car with the thermostatically controlled verticle louvres and it is gigantic!

Anyway, prior to senior Mr. Kanoria's passing, father and son had decided that they would put the car back together. Trim and cosmetics are not a problem; the family has an abundance of RR parts. The owner will now slowly start resurrecting the car and hopefully it will be ready for the 2014 Statesman.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

So is it "akla cholo re" for you John? Hopefully, they may come by soon as many, many viewers click and click. Not all are teambhp members BUT!

-The black, once doddering, Hudson is back in ship-shape in turquoise blue. The paint and chrome finish could have been better and more befitting for this rare car however!

-Found the elderly gentleman in his white spotless, dhoti-kurta on his pristine Austin Eight back again. He has been driving his car here I guess since many years! That's Love Eternal and Sublime for his car and for the rally.

- Was the red and black 1930's Plymouth seen this year? I could not sight it in the pictures.

I have taken some pics, need to organize them properly after which I shall upload them.

I too was pleased to see the Hudson with it's new paint job. The engine runs very silent and an example of an owner who attends every year without expectations but still tries to improve on his car.

It is indeed great to see the gentleman who attends and drives his Austin more or less every year in his spotless Bengali attire.

The Plymouth wasn't there this year. I believe the car is no longer in Kolkata.

Thanks for the link on the Buick. Now that is a really cool car

[mbz180]

Some pics from my side taken on the day of scrutiny:

Ford Custom V8







Alvis









Austin 10 tourer





Adler



Austin 16











Austin 6









MG Magnette



Fiat Balilla











Crossley







Lancia Dilambda

[mbz180]

Some more:

Morris Minor







MG TC







Fiat 1200 Spider













Ford V8 Sedan













Morris Minor lowlight tourer











MG PA









Triumph Mayflower





Citroen tourer

[mbz180]

A few more:

Ex General Niazi Mercedes W115





Rolls Royce 25/30 Chassis No. GAR 71.

RR gurus, can you shed some light on the ownership history please?





















Rambler Super

















Pontiac Catalina with power soft top

















Austin 7



Morris tourer

[mbz180]

Austin Somerset











Triumph Spitfire with removable hard top







Citroen Traction Avant 15 Six



Triumph Herald









Studebaker President (My favourite car in the rally)























This elderly gentleman has been participating in his old faithful Austin 12 ever since I can remember!



A few bikes:

BMW



Villiers



Gilera

[mbz180]

And the last set from my side taken on the scrutiny day, except for the Minerva, which is from the day of the Rally:

Rolls Royce 20 hp Roadster

























And the...Minerva!

[travancore]

Originally Posted by mbz180

And the last set from my side taken on the scrutiny day, except for the Minerva, which is from the day of the Rally:


And the...Minerva!

Attachment 1039252

So what is the history / provenance of the Miverva - Darbhanga or other ?

[wasif]

Great pictures and love the way they have been captioned too ! Thanks.

A few questions about the Kanoria RR 20. The car indeed looks stunning but in my opinion would look even better with out those trademark "Kolkata" bumpers on it.

1. Whos is the coachbuilder for this body.

2. Is the gold trim on the instruments original or have they been smartened up a bit ?

3. The radiator looks more like that from a Ghost, is this original or has it been replaced with a Ghost radiator ?

Some of the cars like the Blue / Black Austin 6 look really well restores with clean interiors and even cleaner engine compartments which I have noticed are often neglected when restoring.

The Austin 16 also has a well sorted engine compartment.

Love the Study President 8 and its patina, hope the owners keep it that way.

The Pontiac convertible looks superb too.

[mbz180]

Originally Posted by wasif

Great pictures and love the way they have been captioned too ! Thanks.

A few questions about the Kanoria RR 20. The car indeed looks stunning but in my opinion would look even better with out those trademark "Kolkata" bumpers on it.

3. The radiator looks more like that from a Ghost, is this original or has it been replaced with a Ghost radiator ?

Some of the cars like the Blue / Black Austin 6 look really well restores with clean interiors and even cleaner engine compartments which I have noticed are often neglected when restoring.

The Austin 16 also has a well sorted engine compartment.

Love the Study President 8 and its patina, hope the owners keep it that way.

The Pontiac convertible looks superb too.

Thanks Wasif.

About the 20hp RR. On the point of the radiator, some early RR 20's did indeed come without the trademark horizontal louvres. Very few also had vertical louvres. And this is an early 20 hp so I think the honeycomb grill without slats may have been there from the start.

The Austin Six was really well turned out and did win a trophy. The Austin 16 had a superbly detailed engine compartment, has won trophies in the past and I believe would have won something this time as well but unfortunately she stalled on the Rally course and maybe the judges took note of that. The car didn't win anything. On the other hand, the cream Austin Somerset belonging to the same owner won a trophy and was well restored.

The Studebaker President 8 belongs to an erstwhile Bengali royal family and attended after a gap of 4 years. I too would like the car to be preserved. Practically however, with Kolkata's humid and hot weather, the trims will deteriorate further. The owner promised the judges that the car would attend next year, restored.

The Pontiac's power top had packed up several years ago. The owner imported the necessary hardware recently and this time, the power top was in good working order.

[Bulldogji]

The father and son duo, squeezing into the Minerva, brings a smile on the face. Sadly not many pictures of this well resurrected car. Literally from nothing to something. I believe she had some mechanical issues, but that is to be expected as this car was literally created from scrap. Hopefully Sanjay and his team will sort it out before she comes to Bombay .Correct history of the car would be interesting including the body style she was built in. The Studebaker is another impressive car, keeping Calcutta climate in mind, well preserved. A little TLC, rather than a full blown restoration would be my choice, but its really the owners decision finally. The convertible Pontiac is a beauty, I do have a soft spot for those cars, smart, powerful, chrome, and very practical daily drivers even today. Hope the owners drive her regularly. Momens cars were not seen, any idea? The Kanoria cars, well restored, maybe a bit over the top, also re affirm my belief that Calcutta workmanship is excellent. Personally I would not have mounted those hunting lights though. The period correct tyres are another indication of the pains taken in detailing the car. I would also have liked the bonnet to be painted and the badges reduced in number, but all said and done a lovely car deserves all the prizes given and more.

[mbz180]

Originally Posted by Bulldogji

The father and son duo, squeezing into the Minerva, brings a smile on the face. Sadly not many pictures of this well resurrected car.

Momens cars were not seen, any idea?

Sir,

I didn't know the other gentleman sitting in the front passenger seat was the owner of the car. I met the son for the first time and he remembered that I was also a Bhpian. We had a very pleasant talk. The Minerva did sport headlamps with the Minerva logo in enamel on the top of the brass bezels; a miniature of the logo on the radiator top.

There's a wedding in Mr. Momen's family and he's not in town, so no cars from their side could attend.


Regards
Prithvi