All roads led to Rambagh Palace last weekend. Cartier Concours d'Elegance travelled to Jaipur for the sixth edition of 'Cartier Travel With Style'. One of the top five concours in the historic motoring calendar [the others are Pebble Beach in California, Amelia Island in Florida, Villa d'Este in Italy and Chantilly Arts et Elegance in France], it is the cars, rather than their owners, that get the coveted invite. This edition, we witnessed a magnificent showcase of eighty-six vintage automobiles — hosted by Christophe Massoni, CEO Cartier Middle East, Africa and India, and curated by renowned automotive historian Manvendra Singh Barwani — in the presence of His Highness Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, HH Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur and Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur.
''It is a wonderful event,'' His Highness Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur told us during a conversation with him at Rambagh Palace. ''I think the fact that Cartier has given these car restorers and collectors such a great platform speaks a lot. There are some beautiful cars here from across the world. I am happy to be here and support it.''
As the iconic event ran the length of two days, an elite jury including Chief Judge Simon Kidston, an expert on heritage automobiles; Sandra Button, Chairman, Pebble Beach Concours dÉlegance; Charles Richmond, Duke of Richmond; Gordon, Founder, Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival; Stefano Domenicali, Chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini examined the finest automotive examples of style, beauty, design and perfection. Finally, The Best Car Of The Show was awarded to 1935 Rolls Royce, Phantom 2 Continental owned by Amir Jetha. The automobile has been in the current family of owners since 1962, the last Rolls Royce Continental that exists today!!
''It's been a lot of fun'' grins Mumbai based Allan Almeida. ''All four of the automobiles I have restored won best of class including the 1951 Standard-Vanguard winning The Mark Shand Adventurer Trophy. So it's been an amazing day for me! My boys and I worked really hard and it paid off; we deserve to celebrate this victory now!''
''I am a classic car collector since forty-five years and have restored 300 - 350 cars so far. We strive to award cars that have been perfectly restored to how they were first built by a manufacturer’' Kolkata based Sanjay Ghosh tell us. ''I am fond of American cars and they are comparatively easier to restore than European cars. I have also been a winner at the Kolkata rally since fifty years, the only participant since fifty years without a break. When we started, the movement was not this elaborate. The consciousness was very less but now it is active.''
''Over the years, the quality of restoration in India has become so remarkable that cars from our country are now participating internationally. Sandra Button, Chairman CEO of Pebble Beach who has been coming as a judge to India, invited nine Indian cars to showcase at the last edition of Pebble Beach under the special 'Raj Class'. The 'Pre-War Transportation Class' has been created for the first time including vehicles that are all bodied in India by local artisans. The reason for promoting this new class of cars is that if not showcased they will go into scrap! This uniqueness makes 'Cartier Travel With Style' truly special'' explained curator Manvendra Singh. Indeed, a lesson in automotive history.
— VERONIQUE POLES AND JASMEEN DUGAL
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