KARACHI: The 14th Annual Cross-Country Vintage and Classic Car Rally organised by the Vintage and Classic Rally Drivers Association of Pakistan (VCRDAP) kicked off from Mai Kolachi here on Thursday morning.

The rally will stop over in Sukkur, Multan, Lahore, Nurpur Noon and Islamabad before culminating in Peshawar on Dec 12.

The rally comprised an assortment of vintage and classic cars.

“The oldest car in the rally is 75 years old with the latest one being 30 years old, but we have kept them in great running condition so that they can undertake this long cross country journey. This rally is a statement of the passion of classic car collectors,” said Shoaib Qureshy, vice president of the VCRDAP, who is also the founder of the Antique Cars Museum.

Initially, around 20 cars started the rally from Karachi, with others expected to join in from the various cities that the cars cross. “More people are welcome to join in from anywhere,” said Imad Samad, the founder and president of the VCRDAP.

“In Lahore, the rally will also be a part of a grand classic car show at the Lahore Polo Club Grounds on December 8 to be hosted by Adnan Hayat Noon, himself an ardent classic car enthusiast,” said Ahmed Agha, general secretary of the VCRDAP.

The Karachi cars included several models of Mercedes the oldest of which was Imad Samad’s 1957 Mercedes 180D and Razi Nayyar’s 1965 Mercedes 190D, Chevrolet, Toyota, Datsun and Volkswagen Beetle.

Some 20 cars are also expected to join the rally from Lahore onward. These would include a Cadillac Eldorado, an MGB GT, Austin Healey, Jaguar Mark X, a 1972 Mercedes W108, 1965 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, Rolls Royce Silver Spur, 2000 Porsche 911 996, 1977 VW Campervan, 1983 Mercedes 230CE 124, 1965 Ford Mustang and a 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia.

Earlier, this rally was to begin on Nov 13 but it had to be postponed due to the severe smog expected on the way. It was rescheduled for Nov 27, but postponed again due to the political situation in Islamabad. “We are above petty politics and just want to conduct the classic car rally every year,” said Imad Samad.

He also reminded that the first ever classic car rally of Pakistan, started from Karachi on Nov 5 in 2010, and has since been regularly held every year with the exception of 2020 and 2022 because of Covid and floods.

“This unique national motoring event is a big step forward in projecting a soft image of Pakistan to the outer world,” the founder and president of the VCRDAP concluded.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2024