From WWII jeeps to Bollywood rides: Lucknow’s oldies roll out in style

A bright, sunny Sunday in Hazratganj, usually marked by its steady stream of traffic, turned into a scene from a bygone era when a fleet of vintage and classic cars lined up at the Hazratganj Crossing petrol station for the yearly Vintage Car and Motorcycle Club of Lucknow rally organised by Sandeep Das.

Sanjay Prasad, IAS, who flagged off the rally, admired each car closely before the vintage procession began. “Each vehicle here is a vibrant piece of art. You don’t find such beautiful cars commonly on the road anymore, and most look the same now. This is a celebration of craftsmanship,” he said.

With around 22 cars from the vintage car clubs of the city, the rally passed through Hazratganj, Shaheed Smarak, Bara Imambara, MG Marg and Lohia Path before reaching Indira Gandhi Pratishthan. For participants, the rally was as much about nostalgia as it was about heritage. Tarun Sehgal, who has been taking part in the rally since 2001, says, “ I drove the car from Sitapur just to be part of the rally, and halfway, we had to even tow it. The cars in the showcase here are the MG TC-1947 and the Standard Herald Convertible-1962, in which one was even used in Mira Nair’s film The Monsoon Wedding.”

Raghav Ratan Bakshi, a car connoisseur, says, “I have brought two restored Willys models, one is a 1953 and 1969 model. One of them still runs on petrol and remains exactly the way it was during World War II,” he shared.

For MA Khan, who showcased a 1952 Morris Minor belonging to his friend Mathur, the rally is a reminder of the city’s shared love for legacy. “These are heritage on wheels. Just like Lucknowites preserve their cuisine and culture, vintage cars also deserve the same care,” he explains.
— Amina Ashraf



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