ISLAMABAD: The Vintage and Classic Car Club of Pakistan (VCCCP) on Tuesday organised a show of cars participating in the Karachi to Khyber vintage car rally at the Serena Hotel.

The annual rally sees vintage car owners stop in cities across the country to showcase their vehicles. After the stop in Islamabad, the rally will continue on first to Murree and then to Peshawar.

The show featured dozens of classic cars of different origins including British, American and European and includes cars like Rolls Royces, Cadillacs, Fords, Mercedes, Volkswagens and Jaguars among others.

The exhibition saw many cars being displayed for the first time, including a 1929, 7700cc Rolls Royce Phantom II, which is one of the just 1,281 to have ever been built.

A 1926 Ford Coupe Convertible and a 1940 eight cylinder Buick, both one of the best sellers in their day, were also showcased for the first time.

The founder and president of VCCCP, Mohsin Ikram, who owns 13 vintage cars and bikes himself, said he absolutely loved a 1960 Austin Healey that was part of the rally.

“It is one of the most sought after cars and has a very powerful engine. Everything about it is just so sporty,” he said.

One of the oldest cars that were part of the rally was a British made 1927 Triumph Super 7 tourer. The car, owned by Haroon Khan, was one of the just 17,000 produced over eight years. The cars top speed is just about 50 miles an hour.

Haroon Khan has had the car for seven years and said he loves it for its compact size and its wooden floor.

Much like the Triumph, all the cars in the show were in their original conditions, including their engines. A 1948 Jaguar, one of the smallest cars, came complete with its original wood panelling, wire wheels, masses of chrome and the original, now famous, jumping cat figurine.

The owner of the black Jaguar, Sulaiman Abbasi, said it has been in his family since 1948 and that he wished his children would take more interest in the car. “They like the ones that come with power steering wheels. But I take her out for a spin on the weekends to keep her parts lubricated and running,” he said.

Another participant, Karim Chhapra, had brought four cars from his dozen-strong collection of vintage vehicles. His display featured a 1929 Studebaker, an MG 1960 Roadster and a 1929 Hupmobile.

Mr Chhapra also brought the 1924 Rolls Royce, Silver Ghost, which was used by the Quaid-e-Azam on August 14, 1947.

Visitors at the show got to sit in the classic cars and some of the owners also took the car lovers out for a spin in them while others revved up their engines to show off the sounds they made.

A guest, Resham Ibrahim, could not get enough of a blue Mini Cooper.

She said: “It is so small, fast and so easy to park.”

A five-year-old guest, Sam Vaughan, loved a 1982 Chevrolet Corvette.

He said: “It looks like it will be so fast.”

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2015