While
Pondicherry is a great place to explore and love if you are a tourist, it can
become a tad dull for the long-term residents.
However, just as the sky is
occasionally brightened with a lovely rainbow, there are some occasions when
living in Pondicherry becomes worth while. One such occasion is the annual The Hindu Chennai-Pondy Heritage Car Rally,
which is must-attend event for a motoring buff as myself.
This
year (2015), saw an amazing line-up of cars. Jostling amongst the crowds (yes,
there was an amazing turnout at the Promenade where the cars were parked for
the night!), I managed to catch a good look and capture quite a few of the old
beauties on my camera. I am proud to say that almost 90% of the cars (and the
few motorbikes and scooters) were maintained in extremely good condition, with
shiny exteriors and almost good as new interiors!
There were quite a few really
old models, including a great line-up of Mercedes, Chevrolets, Dodge’s and
Buicks, Heralds, Studebakers, Plymouths, Fiats and the old Ambassadors (1959)
some of us still use it. Among the line-up, I was really surprised to see a
first generation Maruti 800 (1984 model).
Being 31 years old is considered
heritage.
Thank God this doesn’t apply to us humans.
The
best part of the event was that I was able to spot a few cars that hit a
personal chord- like my grandfather’s Morris Minor and my other
grandpa’s Hindustan 12.
My favourite picks of the line-up were
the Fiats (the Fiat Elegant, the Buck Fiat open roof and Fiat 1100 Estate left
hand drive-a rare edition), the two Mini Coopers, a Citroen (the first edition
with a front wheel drive), the well-maintained Chevy and Peugeot, and the Buick
with wooden doors.
To a motoring enthusiast, cars -whether old or new- can get
the adrenalin going and the 2015 Chennai-Pondy
Heritage Car Rally was a sight worth waiting for indeed!
Scroll
down to see the pics of the old beauties!
