Vintage car rally to commence from Ahmedabad on Feb 18

As many as 24 vintage cars will cover a distance of nearly 1,200 km between Ahmedabad and Jaipur over five days as part of a rally starting on Monday to promote heritage tourism in India, an organiser said.

The 'Grand Heritage Drive 2019', organised by the Federation of Historic Vehicles of India (FHVI) in partnership with UNESCO, will kick off from Ahmedabad and pass through Dungarpur, Udaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan before culminating at Jaipur, FHVI president Ravi Prakash said on Saturday.

On the way, the cars will halt at various heritage properties, he said.

The participants would include prominent members from the royal families in Udaipur, Dungarpur, Khimsar, Jaipur and Goa, and also well-known architects, doctors, industrialists and enthusiasts from across of the country, he said.

The event aims to generate interest among collectors of vintage cars and encourage new enthusiasts to join in, he said.

"Many Indians own some of the finest vintage cars in the world. The FHVI, set up in 2016, has been working with the government to create a positive environment for the preservation and promotion of vintage cars," Prakash said.

The central government recently allowed import of pre-1950 vintage cars. The FHVI has requested the government to expand the scope and allow import of pre-1970 vintage cars, Prakash said.

The FHVI is also planning to launch a government- recognised certificate course by mid-2019 on restoring vintage cars, he said.

The federation has also requested the government to exempt pollution and fitness certificate norms for vintage cars, and recognise a person having a vintage car for three years as the vehicle's rightful owner even in the absence of legal documents, he added.