From Daily News & Analyis: Vintage beauties hog the limelight at Ahmedabad car show
The first vintage car show, held on Sunday at a party plot, saw
people pouring in throughout the day, making it a big success. Organised
by the Gujarat Vintage Classic Car Club, the event had over 50 cars
exhibited.
The aim of the show was to spread awareness about maintaining and
restoring these heritage cars and bringing those people together who
share the passion for these old beauties.
“I am overwhelmed at the
response we got. I knew that Amdavadis have passion for cars, but this
is more then we expected. We are planning to organise more of such
small-level shows and will have the show every year,” said Subodh Nath,
president of the car club.
Among the vehicles on display were a
1977 Chevrolet Impala, Ford Lincoln, a 1956 Hindustan-14 and a 1971
Mercedes. It was a mix of classic as well new-age sports cars. The show
turned out to be the perfect Sunday outing for Amdavadis. Citizens were
curious to learn the name of the car and the era it belonged to.
From children to the elderly, visitors posed around the cars to get their photos clicked. The crowd also enjoyed the live music.
Lalit
Bakeri, whose 1963 Chevrolet Impala was on display, was surprised to
see the attention drawn by his car. “The response is unbelievable. Even
in this heat, the ground is filled with people. I opened the door of the
car so that people can get a peek into the interiors. This way such
hidden vintage cars will resurface and people will be encouraged to
restore their old cars,” he said. The owner of a Mercedes, Hem Vyas, 24,
added that he wanted to own more vintage cars, as these got more
attention than their modern counterparts.
Some of the most famous cars in French motoring history would be banned
from Paris under a law intended to hit gas-guzzlers, but which is being
criticized as a blow to the poor and classic car fans.
The proposal to ban pre-1997 cars from the city center is the
brainchild of Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe, who was behind the popular
Velib' bike-rental scheme but has been accused of turning the city of
lights into a playground for the rich.
Under the plan, such classics as the stylish Citroen DS, one of which
was painted by Picasso; the Citroen 2CV, sometimes described as a tin
snail; and the boxy but durable Renault 4L, along with less iconic
models driven by ordinary Parisians who can't afford to trade up, would
have to go.
"This is for our citizens. It's a public health battle and we've been
fighting since 2001 to try and make the air here more breathable," the
left-wing mayor told councillors in Paris.
Claude Fauconnier, vice-president of the French Friends of the 2CV
Club, called the measure "another harebrained idea" to please ecologists
and wealthy Parisians, that ignores the day-to-day reality of the
less-well-off.
"If you're driving a 17-year-old car there's usually a reason and it's certainly not for fun," he told Reuters.
"It's often people struggling to make ends meet at the end of month and they're the ones who can't afford a modern car."
The proposal, which needs government endorsement and will be submitted
to a ministerial council in January, would outlaw cars built before 1997
from the city and nearby suburbs from 2014.
The Paris Town Hall's press office said about 365,000 cars would be
affected and pre-'97 models were chosen because that was the year strict
anti-pollution rules took effect in Europe.
Delanoe has been fighting for more than a decade to cut pollution in
Paris and says his efforts - ranging from more road lanes for buses and
bikes and wider pavements - have cut traffic by 25 percent and
greenhouse gas emissions by 9 percent.
The Velib' bicycle renting scheme was followed up with a similar
Autolib' car-hire scheme, and, more recently, by plans to close off part
of the city's riverside expressways to traffic and turn them into
pedestrian boulevards.
If accepted, the proposals also would ban trucks that are more than 18 years old, and motorbikes built before 2002.
Other ideas include cutting the speed limit on the busy ring road
around Paris and introducing a congestion charge, or eco-tax, for trucks
passing through the city.
Paris would not be the first city to ban old clunkers from its streets.
The Indian city of Calcutta ordered cars older than 15 years off its
roads in 2008.
They are making their way down to Brighton on Sunday. Picture by Keith Larby
Some of them have been restored to their former glory. Picture by Keith Larby
