The Dalhousie Institute (DI) and Eastern India Motoring Group (EIMG) in association with Concourz Restorations joined hands to organise the inaugural edition of THE DI EIMG HERITAGE VEHICLE DISPLAY on Sunday, March 26, 2023. The event was held at the lawn and the courtyard of The Dalhousie Institute where a bevy of 75 heritage vehicles including four and two wheelers were displayed. The member of DI along with their guests were in for a visual treat as some rare and exotic heritage wheels made the onlookers drool in admiration and envy.
Established in 2020, EIMG has since been anchoring the revival of the heritage motoring movement in Kolkata. Under the leadership of Founder & President Mr. Shrivardhan Kanoria (himself a collector & restorer of national repute) and his team, EIMG has been instrumental in organizing some of the most widely appreciated and admired heritage motoring events in the city. These stellar events has provided the much needed impetus to heritage vehicle owners and restorers to pursue their passion with added zest to ensure that these beauties turn up at each event looking their best.
Founded in 1859, The Dalhousie Institute is a venerable social club with a rich legacy and heritage of its own. It was just a matter of time that these two organization – DI and EIMG – came together to create an evening of automobile magic. This collaboration was made possible with the effort of Mr. Subhajit Kumar, EIMG Secretary and a vintage & classic car collector himself – who acted as the bridge between DI and EIMG.
Kanoria had handpicked 75 heritage vehicles which was part of this grand display. The vehicles were segmented into four different categories namely Vintage Cars, Classic Cars, Indian Heritage Cars and Two Wheelers. All the vehicles selected for this event were spectacular in their own right with significant historical importance.
As many as five vintage Rolls-Royces graced the event, which included the 1923 Rolls-Royce 20HP, 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I and 1926 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost – all three RRs from the Shrivardhan Kanoria Collection itself. Keeping them company was Jayawardhan Kejriwal’s 1929 Rolls-Royce 20/25 and the marvelous 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III owned by Azam Monem.
Other praiseworthy vintage cars included Ananda Chowdhury’s 1913 Stoewer, Kunal Banerji’s 1926 Studebaker Erskine, a rare 1931 Lancia Di Lambda owned by P.R. Agarwal, Late Sanjay Ghosh’s 1932 Ford V8, and Rajiv Ghosh’s 1937 Opel Cabrio.
Notable among the classic cars on display were Himanshu Ajmera’s 1947 MG TC, a 1947 Rover 14 P2 owned by Avik Naha, Sarojesh Mukerjee’s 1947 Rover 16 P2, 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe owned by S.K. Lahiri, Late Sanjay Ghosh’s 1949 Buick Super 8, 1950 Austin A40 owned by Debaprem Chatterjee, Prithvi Nath Tagore’s 1958 Mercedes Ponton, 1963 Triumph Spitfire owned by Saikat Dutta and Sarmistha Hazra’s 1965 Hillman Imp.
The 1957 Fiat Elegant owned by Rajiv Ghosh and Subhajit Kumar’s 1964 Standard Herald stood out in the Indian Heritage Class while the 1923 Panther Sloper owned by Hossain and Terrence Lobo’s 1940 Triumph 3HW were the head turners of the two wheeler category. The atmosphere at THE DI EIMG HERITAGE VEHICLE DISPLAY was absolute electric with the heady mix of wheels, wine and live music by Velvet Ladder.
The Thanksgiving Ceremony was conducted by EIMG President Mr. Shrivardhan Kanoria wherein the beautiful mementos sponsored by Concourz Restorations were presented to the heritage vehicle owners and other important stakeholders.
In his thanksgiving address Mr. Kanoria said, “I would like to express my gratitude to the committee members of The Dalhousie Institute for their support and cooperation for making this event possible. Special mention to the Club President Mr. Jayajit Biswas, Sr. VP Mr. Kishor Sen, Jr. VP Mr. Leslie D’ Gama, and Club Secretary Mr. Michael Rao. Heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Subhajit Kumar for being instrumental for this collaboration between DI and EIMG. Lastly thank you to the other sponsors Telegraph T2, Exide and Apollo – for supporting this event.” The thanksgiving ceremony was followed by a sumptuous dinner hosted by EIMG President Mr. Shrivardhan Kanoria.
Images courtesy EIMG Photography Team – Ranadip Mandal, Deepanjan Sarkar and Kingshuk Sarkar.
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