Mumbai: 70 vintage Mercedes-Benz cars glide in classic car rally

Mercedes-Benz cars during the rally

Around 70 Mercedes-Benz cars, built decades apart, glided elegantly from the Taj Lands End in Bandra to Worli and back as part of the rally on Sunday morning.

Organised by Autocar India in association with Mercedes-Benz, the ninth edition of the Mercedes-Benz classic car rally, first held in 2014, was flagged off by Vishwas Nangre Patil, Joint Police Commissioner (Law and Order) and Martin Schwenk, MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India.

The MBCCR featured some extremely special cars which sparkled in the mild November sun this morning. These included publisher and collector Viveck Goenka's S-Class collection, Pratapsinh Gaekwad's 230SL Pagoda, Gautam Singhania's 300S Adenauer cabriolet, and Yash Ruia's 1929 Nurburg. A throng of admirers also savoured the entire range of W123, W124, and W126 in all body styles - from coupes, cabriolets and limousines to estates, SWB and LWB sedans. "The passion for classic cars in the city is very evident, thanks to this magnificent show," said Patil.

Martin Schwenk said the rally was a celebration of the manufacturer's rich history. "I have been witnessing the rally since 2018, and each year since then it has kept exceeding my expectations in terms of the cars on display and the sheer passion of the owners who celebrate Mercedes-Benz's heritage. It is a pleasure to see our customers come together as one family to celebrate and drive these icons of luxury on Mumbai's streets," said Schwenk.

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The ninth edition of the MBCCR also saw the organisers grow the pool of participating cars by allowing every Mercedes-Benz assembled and sold in India up to 2002 to be eligible for the Star Classic category. And so, on display were familiar icons such as the entire India range, up to the W203 C-Class, W210 E-Class and even the W220 S-Class. The rally also had all seven generations of the groundbreaking Mercedes-Benz S-Class on display to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the car that has shaped the future of the automobile. Yashvardhan Ruia's 1929 Nurburg, one of the few in the world, was the oldest automobile at the event.

"I look forward to the Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Rally every year, because I get to see so many cars that I haven't seen before. It is one of the finest rallies of its kind in the country and extremely well-organised," said Viveck Goenka.

MBCCR 2022 also saw participants from several parts of the country, including Rajkot, Goa, and Kochi. "The MBCCR has played a key role in raising awareness of the joy of owning a Mercedes classic car," said Vivek Lathia, who drove in from Rajkot in his W123 240D.

Rally curator Perseus Bandrawalla said that Mercedes-Benz has become the most popular classic car brand in India and for good reason. "No other carmaker has as many classic cars on our roads nor the official factory support for spare parts and restoration. While we take pride in the fact that the MBCCR has grown to become a much awaited, globally recognised event, what's as important is that it has fostered a vibrant community and ecosystem of collectors and restorers," said Bandrawalla.