On Sunday, January 28, all roads led to The Lake Club as the EIMG Concours d’Elegance 2024 set the City of Joy ablaze with 95 scintillating exotic vehicles which took part in this annual heritage event. Now in this third edition, the event was organised by Eastern India Motoring Group (EIMG) in collaboration with The Lake Club and supported by ACE Commercial.

With the majestic Rabindra Sarobar in the backdrop, clear blue sky above, the sprawling green lawn of the The Lake Club made for the perfect setting for a memorable rendezvous with motoring heritage.

The icing on the cake was the seven beautiful Rolls-Royces which adorned the club lawns like seven spectacular jewels. Keeping them company was a century old Stoewer, the oldest entrant of this year’s Concours. The car has served four generations of Chowdhury family, namely Ishwar Chandra, Shantinath, Pratap and now Ananda who has maintained this car in pristine condition.

A 1938 Rolls-Royce 20/25 owned by vintage car connoisseur Avik Naha made its debut at this year’s Concours d’Elegance. This stunningly beautiful car had everyone drooling in admiration. This Rolls is a real stunner and prized possession of its owner.

The 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe once driven by legendary singer and composer Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and now owned by SK Lahiri was another beauty on display. The Lahiri family bought this car in the early 1970s and thoroughly restored it. Fondly referred to as ‘Nilu’, the car is meticulously maintained till date.

Saurjya Pratim Mitra’s brilliantly restored 1937 Ford 7W10 invited admiration and envy in equal measure. Rajiv Ghosh’s 1932 Ford V8, also referred to as The Ladybird also participated in this year’s Concours. A brilliant car which once belonged to Justice JP Mitter has been the proud possession of the Ghosh family and immaculately restored by the legendary Sanjay Ghosh.

A rare German car Adler manufactured in 1938 was proved to be a huge crowd puller. Presently owned by former top cop Mr. Gadai Chandra Dey, this car has a fascinating history. It was buried after the owner of the vehicle heard in 1939 that it would be acquisitioned by the American Army for its officers serving USA during World War II. It was later salvaged in 1965 and completely restored.

A 1963 Triumph Spitfire which was once owned by Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff has always been a popular car in the Kolkata circuit, much like its debonair owner Saikat Dutta. A Ford Anglia whose reference one gets in the writings of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter also evoked admiration from the visitors. Once owned by ace footballer Subhas Bhowmick, this car is presently the prized possession of Amritendu Roy.

Other noteworthy vehicles which took part in The Lake Club EIMG Concours d’Elegance 2024 were Avik Naha’s 1948 Buick Super 8, Siddharth Swarup’s 1947 Wolseley 14, Indrajit Sircar’s 1957 Wolseley 6/90, Sourajit Pal Choudhuri’s 1928 Ford Model A, Sarmistha Hazra’s 1965 Hillman Imp, Prithvi Nath Tagore’s 1958 Mercedes-Benz 180 A and Sarojesh Mukerjee’s 1959 Ford Zephyr.

The two-wheeler section had as many as 14 participants among which Terence Lobo’s 1940 Triumph 3HW, Chandan Basu Mallik’s 1950 Norton Dominator, Lt. Col. Nitin Shrestha’s 1937 Arial Red Hunter deserve special mention.

Four immaculately restored Rolls-Royces along with a 1931 Chevrolet belonging to the Shrivardhan Kanoria Collection were also exhibited in the Concours. While these beauties weren’t entered in the competition, however, they added a touch of elegance and aristocracy to the event.

The heritage vehicles were judged by Shrivardhan Kanoria and his Concourz Restoration Team on the basis of Authenticity, Restoration, Maintenance, Historical Importance, and Rarity.

List of Winners:

Cars Built Upto 1930 – 1930 Plymouth Type 30U – Arijit Dutta

Cars Built From 1931 to 1940 – 1932 Ford V8 – Rajiv Ghosh

Cars Built From 1941 to 1950 – 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe – SK Lahiri

Cars Built From 1951 to 1975 – 1958 Mercedes-Benz 180 A- Prithvi Nath Tagore

Vintage Two Door Cars – 1937 Opel Cabrio – Rajiv Ghosh

Classic Two Door Cars – 1947 MG TC – Himanshu Ajmera

Indian Heritage Cars – 1958 Standard Vanguard – Sarojesh Mukerjee

Two Wheelers – 1937 Arial Red Hunter – Lt. Col. Nitin Shrestha

Oldest Car Award – 1913 Stoewer – Ananda Chowdhury

Oldest Two Wheeler Award – 1923 Panther Sloper – Afzal Hossain

Preservation Award – 1947 Wolseley 14 – Siddharth Swarup

Restoration Award – 1937 Ford 7W10 – Saurjya Pratim Mitra

Resurrection Award – 1957 Wolseley 6/90 – Indrajit Sircar

Admirable Award – 1938 Rolls-Royce 25/30 – Avik Naha

Judge’s Choice Award – 1968 Fiat Delight – Rajiv Ghosh

Special Car Award – 1937 Rolls-Royce 25/30 – S.K. Karnani & ORS (HUF)

Touring Delight Award – 1925 Rolls-Royce 20HP – Ashok Kumar Bubna

Sporty Playboy Award – 1963 Triumph Spitfire – Saikat Dutta

Hot Ride Award – 1947 Arial – Harjit Singh Dhanjal

Epitome of Elegance – 1948 Buick Super 8 – Avik Naha

Best of Show – 1938 Rolls-Royce 25/30 – Avik Naha

Photographs by Sourish Meryson