Gondal in Rajkot district is famous all over the world for the vintage car collection of its erstwhile rulers. On Monday, Mark Shand of Cartier International (who is also the brother-in-law of Prince Charles) and the organiser of Concours d'Elegance, the famed international exhibition of automobiles, visited Gondal and selected three classic vintage cars from the regal collection for a display at the exhibition.

Concours d'Elegance means “parade of elegance,” and is an exhibition of automobile design, craftsmanship and history.

Vintage cars with the Indian royalty and private collectors have never been exhibited on an international stage before. India has also never hosted an edition of the Concours d'Elegance. But this time, the Royal Western India Turf Club in Mumbai will host the Cartier ‘Travel With Style’ Concours from October 31 to November 2.

In Mumbai, an international jury will select the best vintage car, which will receive an award. The Gondal royal family is known to be automobile aficionados across generations and have retained more than 34 vintage cars in their collection. Some of the cars belong to the early 20th century. All these cars are on display in a garage in one of the palaces in Gondal. Visitors from far and wide come to visit this museum.

The three cars selected today were: Chrysler CI Rumble Seat Coupe, Packard 120 (1935 model), Mercedes 300 SL (1968 model) and Delage D8 (1969 model).

Durgesh Jadeja, a family friend of Maharaja Saheb Jyotindrasinhji and Prince Himanshusinhji: “Surprisingly, all these cars are in working condition, as Mahrajasaheb of Gondal and his son are taking personal care of the cars. The Prince drives all the cars from time to time and several attendants take care of the vehicles regularly.”

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