We didn't get any prizes in the vintage and classic car rally. Our ultimate goal was to build a car that one can cherish and own forever.

BHPian IndrojitSircar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Finally, we managed to test the car on the road. She was on the road after 20-odd years since our ownership and another 20 years before that.

Our first Classic car show outing

At the Statesman Rally Kolkata judging

At the Statesman Rally

We didn't get any prize or trophy even though we had a tie for the best in the road section. But the ultimate goal is to build a car that one can cherish and own forever. The judging and the experience of the entire Statesman Rally will be shared soon.

In the meantime, some pics of the car from the show

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

At least 100 cars, including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and McLarens were expected to take part in the Republic Day rally.

The Mumbai police have seized at least 41 high-end luxury cars and exotics at the Jio World Drive Mall parking. These cars were supposed to take part in a rally on January 26.

According to media reports, the rally was organized by an event and social media company without getting prior clearance from the Mumbai police, at a time when there was a prohibitory order in effect from January 23 to February 6, 2024.

At least 100 cars, including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, McLarens, BMWs, Jaguars, Audis and Mercedes were expected to take part in the rally that was supposed to flag off from Jio World Drive at 6 am from Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and head to Atal Setu.

The police said that they have booked the owners of the cars under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for deliberate disobedience of an order that is duly promulgated by a public servant and the Maharashtra Police Act 1951.

Source: TOI

Among the debutants and the star of this year's show was the ultra-luxurious Mercedes-Benz 600 ‘Grosser’.

BHPian Aditya recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The 2023 edition of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Rally was held in Mumbai today. This was the tenth edition of the iconic rally. The cars lined up at Taj Lands End in Bandra, Mumbai. They then drove to the south end of Worli Sea Face and back via the Bandra-Worli Sea Link bridge.

More than 75 Mercedes-Benz cars spread across 72 different models were on display with nearly 50% of the cars making their debuts or participating after a comprehensive restoration process.

A huge number of people who came to see the beauties. The pandemic is well and truly behind us!

Among the debutants and the star of this year's show was the ultra-luxurious Mercedes-Benz 600 ‘Grosser’.

This car went on sale in 1963, which means 2023 marks its 60th Anniversary.

Among the other cars that immediately caught my eye was this 300 SC. It had participated in the 2014 edition of the Rally and had returned this year after a fresh restoration.

This stunning 220SE Cabriolet was another attention magnet.

Some of the Rally regulars included the Nurburg...

...and the 500K:

Continue reading Aditya's experience at the rally for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

The drive was aimed at creating public awareness and popularising the hobby of old cars collection.

BHPian aviator1101 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Vintage and classic pre-Independence ride

The owners of 15 vintage and classic cars and five two-wheelers embarked on their annual pre-Independence ride on a rainy Sunday morning on 13 August '23 in Kolkata. Starting from Town Hall, the fleet of cars reached Park Street via the AJC Bose Road flyover.

The drive was aimed at creating public awareness and popularising the hobby of old cars collection

Attaching Tricolours to the cars

The Two Wheeler Line-Up

News source

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The Ultimate Desert Challenge is a high-endurance desert off-roading competition.

The 2023 Ultimate Desert Challenge (UDC) – 'X Factor edition' will be held in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, from August 18-20, 2023.

The 3-day event will span a total distance of over 200 km, during which riders, both amateurs and professionals, will tackle sand dunes and unforgiving terrain. According to the organisers, the difficulty level for the competition has been set to 'hard'. 

Hero MotoCorp is the title sponsor of this year's competition, while CEAT Tyres has been roped in as the tyre partner. Polaris is also one of the sponsors of the event. The Hero MotoCorp Motorsports Rally team will also be joining the event.

The Ultimate Desert Challenge is a high-endurance desert off-roading competition. It was first held in 2014.

The turnout was impressive & there were vehicles like the Jaguar E-Type, Chevrolet Corvette, Audi 100 and even a war veteran Hummer.

BHPian parrys recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I really like to sleep till late on a Sunday morning. The only time I am willing to give up on sleep is either when I am going for my motorcycle ride, or for an auto event.

Last Sunday was spent at the Modern Classic Car Rally 2023 which was jointly organised by Autocar, Vredestein Tyres, Gulf Oil & Autoglym. The event was hosted at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Mumbai, where it all started.

This thread is all about pictures. Pictures of some classics, some modern classics & some vintage cars. Enjoy the visual treat!

It is always a good idea to start a show out in the open, in Mumbai, early in the day:

I have a habit to reach before time. It gives me extra time to sip a cup of coffee peacefully:

But soon, it started to get sunny…

...and crowded:

And this is how it looked before the rally was flagged off:

The turnout was impressive.

Jaguar E-Type

The older it gets, the better it looks!

Citroen DS

French styling at its best:

Hummer

The war veteran:

Continue reading parrys's experience for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

Following in his dad's footsteps, McRae became a rookie in WRC & was given a seat in the Subaru-Prodrive team partnered with Ari Vatanen.

BHPian Saadath Hussain recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

To be honest, I have no interest in penning McRae's biography in this thread. It is more of how McRae had the ability to get up to speed and become indomitable.

1000 Lakes Rally, Finland. McRae, following in his father Jimmy's footsteps, became a rookie in WRC and was given a seat in the fledgling Subaru-Prodrive team partnered with Ari Vatanen. Though he was subject to umpteen mistakes in the stages, he had begun attracting many owing to his tenacious attitude even after rolling and battering to a huge extent.

Flashforward to the 1995 RAC rally. It was McRae's home turf and he was equal on points with his then-teammate Carlos Sainz sr. Both the drivers were left with no heavyweight opposition due to Toyota's ostracism for using illegal Turbo restrictors. Now, McRae definitely had to finish ahead of Carlos in order to clinch the top prize and what followed was an exhilarating display of tenacity and raw speed.

McRae had picked up a few punctures on day 2 and thus had his lead cut significantly by Carlos. Then came an impediment with the front suspension which was quickly fixed thanks to McRae's proficient repairing skills. By now, Carlos had taken the lead and McRae had to go flat-out which he did with a vengeance (Courtesy of the preceding Rally Catalunya). Battling light showers, fog and slush, McRae finally bagged the title with Carlos relegated to P2.

Argentina, 1998. McRae's Subaru Impreza was in a bit of a struggle for the title bid and the flying Scot needed a good result in order to stay in touch with the title. The right rear suspension rod had been relinquished. It was here that McRae and his co-driver Nicky Grist's innovative idea came to the fore. Since the rear right tyre could not be detached, they took some risk by way of causing the tyre to explode through some quick driving (wear and tear). It now became easy for both to remove the remnants of the tyre rubber and unscrew the suspension rod. They placed the rod on a flat rock and had it trampled repeatedly so as to straighten it up. They fixed it back and won the next stage.

I had been of the opinion that Sainz was a great driver in the wet conditions. Truly, he was. But, in the 1998 Tour de Course rally, McRae, against mighty odds, won on wet asphalt amidst heavy advances from Sainz's Toyota Corolla and Delecour's Peugeot 306 maxi which was heavily favoured to win on tarmac surfaces that season.

McRae had even won the 1999 Safari rally without taking a single-stage win. It was not all guns and glory for him but at times, he was shrewd enough when to go flat-out or drive with consistency.

Here's what BHPian Rehaan had to say about the matter:

Watched a few videos about McRae a month ago, that really showed how the man was untameable.

Flat-out all the time, absolutely no holding back or hesitation.

• Video 1
• Video 2
• Video 3

Here's what BHPian megazoid had to say about the matter:

I can only opine that he was flamboyant and an extremely gutsy driver. Amazing talent indeed. The only flip side was that he didn't look like lasting the distance with respect to an assault. With his talent, he should certainly have taken at least two more WRC titles but the man was his own enemy. So as long as he lasted, he was a treat to watch.

Another interesting thing to note is the WRC cars and driving style changed significantly close to Colin's last driving years and the beginning of the Loeb era. The clinical nature of the attack wasn't his strength, perhaps.

Video

This kind of sums up the man. What a driver!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Toyota GR Starlet rally car is based on the pre-facelift Glanza.

Toyota Gazoo racing of South Africa has modified a Glanza hatchback into a rally car. It is called the Starlet rally car, and it's based on the pre-facelift version of the Glanza.

The rally-spec Starlet might have a familiar face, but underneath the bodywork, it's a completely different animal. At its heart is a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that makes 261 BHP and 324 Nm. It also features a sequential gearbox and an all-wheel-drive system. That's another major difference between this car and the one you see in Toyota showrooms in India.

The Glanza-based rally car made its debut at the Cape Overberg Rally in the hands of driver Guy Botterill and co-driver Simon Vacy-Lyle. It will also compete in the Secunda Rally on June 10.

While I'm open to buying a used Gypsy, I already own a Thar; hence the confusion.

BHPian Christian recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi there, I've recently been going through a rabbit hole of the Rally scene in India and want to somehow get into it. I have narrowed down a list of cars I can use, that being a Maruti Gypsy (any model year) and a Mahindra Thar Mhawk. The Thar is an option because we already have one, but I've heard that it won't necessarily be good for rallying as it's an automatic diesel, and how the diesel engine can be too heavy, or not provide enough power. The Gypsy, on the other hand, would be a great starter car for me considering its Peppy petrol engine, manual transmission and insane aftermarket support. So I'm really confused here, as to what to do. SO if anyone could help me out, it would be much appreciated!

Pic credits: Evo India

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

The Gypsy is most definitely the superior "starter pack" car as it'll be way cheaper than a used car, it's lighter & more nimble and has phenomenal after-market support. Since you are starting off, it's the one you should buy. Get a good example and the car is pretty much bullet-proof + more mod-friendly than the Thar.

Here's what BHPian Mr.Boss had to say on the matter:

No confusion, you have the answer already.

Since you are entering into Rally, better to start with a simpler and cheaper option, get used to it and upgrade to better options later.

Here's what BHPian dhanushs had to say on the matter:

The Gypsy may be more reliable, and easy to repair on track, but, I have a gut feeling the Thar will outperform the Gypsy on track. However, reliability and repairability are prime factors in motorsports, and Gypsy trumps that aspect.

Oh, on a side note, if you are built heavy, the Gypsy cabin space is a nightmare.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

We were still rolling down, and it just was not ending. While we were rolling, I clearly remember struggling to hold my friend’s hand, was it fear of death or did I want to know, if he was doing, okay? I still do not have an answer for this.

BHPian akshay 4587 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

What's one's worst nightmare while driving around in the mountains; Is it rolling down one????

I lived that nightmare and survived.

Intrigued????

Read on!!!!

Prologue:

It all started when my best friend got a 2011 Gypsy in 2014. It came with fat tyres (295 section), and an AC. All of this was axed within the first month of ownership and it was sent for a rally build. It got a rally cabin, roll cage, Sparco racing seats and 5-point seat belts, along with the mandatory loud exhaust. Once we had it in our hands, it was decided that we get into the car rally scene. My friend the Gypsy owner being the driver, and me being his navigator.

Our first rally - Rally of Rajasthan January 2015:

As per the Federation of Motor Sports Club of India, you cannot participate in the extreme category if it is your first motorsports event; so even though we had a Gypsy ready for the extreme category, we ended up racing in the TSD category. Which itself was quite fun, due to a lot of night stages and sand driving.

Since the rally Involved night stages, we installed a few extra lights on the Gypsy:

 Our GPS gave up the ghost on day 2, so we had to abandon the rally, nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience. And at one point in time, we managed to max out the Gypsy, sharing the photo since it was on a controlled stretch of road:

The first mountain rally - SJOBA 2015:

This is one of the oldest motorsport events in the country, organized by St John’s Old Boys Association hence the name SJOBA Rally.

This rally is flagged from St John's School in Chandigarh, and travels via the back roads of villages and lower Himalayas, finally ending up at Shimla/Chail/Kufri (usually).

It is a 3-day event, the break-up is as follows:

• Day 1: Vehicles/documents scrutiny followed by a Super Special Stage on a dirt track.
• Day 2: Flag-off for the main rally from St John's School: Chandigarh- Shimla/Chail/Kufri
• Day 3: Shimla/Chail/Kufri- St John's School Chandigarh.

This being our second event, we were finally doing, what we wanted to do. An extreme rally in our Gypsy. It went nice and smooth; we did well for our first rally, amongst the big boys of motorsports. Since it has been more than 6 years. I will just share the highlights of this event.

• In the Super Special Stage on the dirt track, we almost managed to topple the Gypsy, but the quick reaction on time saved us.
• We were on Yokohama Geolander AT tyres for this event, and they were not suitable for an event like this, as we struggled for traction a lot of times. We immediately ordered a set of Yokohama Advans after this event.
• Got a speeding ticket from the infamous Chandigarh police officers during the last transport stage.

SJOBA 2018 - Our last mountain rally (The rollover down the mountain):

The series of events before our inevitable rollover down the mountain.

I barely have any photos of this rally apart from our crash.

• In 2016, I had immigrated to Australia, ending my brief rally career in India.
• SJOBA is held in March every year.
• March 2018, I was in India on a vacation and was supposed to return to Australia in the second week of March.
• Early in March, my wife had some health issues, and she had to be operated upon followed by a month of bed rest, so we pushed our return tickets to the third week of April.
• SJOBA Rally somehow got postponed to 13th April.
• My friend with whom I used to navigate had already arranged for a navigator.
• A week before the rally, his navigator backed off, and knowing that I was around, he rushed to me; I was a bit hesitant this time, but him being a close friend, could not refuse.

14th April 2018 - The flag off and the roll over:

We reached the Flag off Venue, St John’s School Chandigarh sharp at 7 am.

Somehow this morning, I had this unexplained discomfort, I had this feeling something was not right. Somehow, I ignored it, and we were flagged off. A few km into the first transport stage, I realized that we forgot the road book for the rally.

This brought back the discomfort as if this was a sign. Ignored it again and I rushed back to the flag-off venue with a friend in one of the support cars and managed to secure the road book and we were off.

It was all smooth until we reached the second last special stage; While negotiating a hairpin bend, the Gypsy somehow shifted into neutral on its own and we were stranded in the middle of the curve. It was the transfer case, that somehow had shifted to neutral. We shifted back to 4L, and quickly sped ahead, towards the finish point for the stage, which was the Chail Palace and our venue for the lunch too.

The last Special Stage (SS-10) and our crash/rollover:

The discomfort was long gone and after a hearty delicious lunch followed by a round of a couple of gulab jamuns for dessert. I was all set for the last stage of the rally. The plan was to finish the last stage, relax for the evening at the resort booked by the rally officials. Little did I know, what lay ahead.

The flag off for the last special stage got delayed, as a couple of villagers had locked their horns with the marshals and rally organizers over the closure of the road (This is a usual event in most of the cross-country Motorsport events). After some negotiations, it was time to be flagged off.

The rollover down the mountain:

The flag off was smooth, and we were soon ripping and pushing our Gypsy around the curved dirt roads, for added grip, all the special stages are done either in 4H or 4L mode, depending upon the gradient and nature of roads.

It was all nice and smooth until we reached the dreadful curve; I took a call for my driver; Easy right; I screamed with my voice getting muffled by the loud exhaust note of the Gypsy.

The curve was nice and easy, and we were not too fast, but the next thing I remember, was the steering wheel spinning out of control, and my friend was not able to correct it.

It all happened in a few milliseconds, and then, the inevitable happened. We reached the cliff, and there was a free fall.

Suddenly, the Gypsy hit something, it could have been a tree or the ground or anything.

We were still rolling down, and it just was not ending. While we were rolling, I clearly remember struggling to hold my friend’s hand, was it fear of death or did I want to know, if he was doing, okay? I still do not have an answer for this.

The Gypsy was still rolling, and I clearly remember screaming Ohhh **** repeatedly.

All this while, there was this feeling inside me, that I am not going to die. After a few more seconds (that felt like hours), the Gypsy came to a standstill, we were at the bottom of the gorge, and thankfully, the Gypsy had landed on all 3’s (one tyre had disintegrated from the Chassis). There was a cloud of dust, and branches of trees all around.

We had rolled 30-50 times (approximately) and about 300 ft down the mountain.

As we gained senses, my friend shouted, 'Akshay Are you okay?', I responded; Yes, I am, or whatever it felt like at that time. I repeated the same question for him, and he responded, he was fine too.

This is when I realized that something was not right with the bottom of my right foot, and that both of my legs were protruding outside of the Gypsy from the windshield, which had shattered obviously. After a few seconds, it dawned on us, that we both had made it without any major injuries, I checked my limbs and they were all in order, I had a visible laceration on my left-hand knuckle, and something at the bottom of my right foot, while my friend did not have any visible lacerations or injuries.

The Takata seat belts had us still strapped up In the Sparco seats. We unbuckled the seat belts, removed our helmets and then I realized that left door had been ripped apart, and my friend was not able to open his door. I somehow managed to crawl out of the Gypsy. Threw away my helmet, and just laid down on the mountainside. Due to the injury, under my right foot, I was unable to walk easily. A quick look around informed me that all our belongings were scattered all over the mountainside, luckily, my phone and wallet were still in my pocket. I could spot my bag lying further down the mountain gorge.

My friend was uninjured, so he decided to climb up the mountain for help.

The rally was still in progress, he tried to flag down some competitors, but since they did not know what had happened, no one stopped. Somehow, and I still cannot fathom how a local police officer had gotten the news of the crash, he reached the spot within a few minutes and asked for my well being. He offered me some water and asked me to take his support and walk up the mountain. Now that was another task due to injury on my right foot, and the police officer would have been a healthy 60-65kgs while I was at an unhealthy figure of 98kgs, somehow, we both managed to reach the top after some struggle. By then SJOBA officials had been informed, the rally marshals managed to reach the accident spot, and I was made to sit on the back seat of their Duster. The SJOBA official ambulance of the event, which is usually a Mercedes Sprinter van, was at the other end of the stage and had supposedly broken down. So, all I could do was wait in the back seat of Duster. I still did not know, as to what was wrong with my foot, as I had the shoe on for now.

By then, some more police officers and locals had gathered at the spot, and this is where the real circus began. The series of events that followed:

• Cops wanted to register a police case and take us to Shimla, and we were totally against it.
• One of the locals was a lawyer, and he was all over the rally officials as to how they could close the road and organize a life threatening event like this.
• A few locals offered some water and eatables, but they also demanded cancellation of the rally at once, however by this time, all the vehicles had been flagged off.
• I was feeling all right all this while, and did not look like any emergency medical attention was needed, so after struggling with the police officers for about 90 minutes (about 1 and a half hours), the rally officials drove me and my friend to the resort for the evening, wherein the doctor on duty gave me first aid.
• They were not carrying an ATS shot with them, and the local dispensary in Chail did not have one either, So I had to get one from the local chemist.
• It was a sleepless night with lots of muscle pains but somehow managed to get over it.
• The SJOBA officials were quite supportive after the crash, however, the next morning, they just vanished.

The Next Morning:

Drove to the crash site in a friend’s Fortuner, this is when I appreciated last evening’s Duster’s ride quality as compared to bone Jarring experience in the Fortuner. Managed to arrange a crane, who agreed to drop the Gypsy back to Chandigarh for 25K. We were driven back to our respective homes, my friend was back in action the next day, however, it took a little more than a month for my foot wound to heal, as ideally it should have been stitched. But it had been more than 24 hours post the crash, so upon doctors' suggestion, I was grounded for almost a month, even though the injury was minor.

After going through this, and a couple of motorcycle falls, I am a firm believer in safety equipment. Had it not been for the roll cage, Takata harness, Sparco seats, and FIA approved helmets, I would not have been alive to pen this down.

Motorsports is Dangerous; but you live only once.

Drive Safe People!!!!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.