Two-day vintage car expo kicks off in Odisha capital

Bhubaneswar: A two-day vintage car exhibition kicked off at Baramunda playground in Odisha capital here today.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the exhibition, Odisha Concours D’Elegance, in the presence of dignitaries including Mayor Sulochana Das and MLAs Sushant Rout and Ananta Narayan Jena.

At least 52 vintage and classic cars from seven states have been displayed at the exhibition, organized in collaboration with Odisha tourism.

Vintage cars including Benz Motorwagen, Rolls-Royce, Ford, Jaguar, Bugatti, British Classics and Mk V have been displayed at the expo.

“This is the first-ever vintage car exhibition in Odisha. Vintage and classic cars of 1886, 1929, 1932 and 1934 models from several cities including Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai have been displayed at the expo. The Chief Minister visited the exhibition and praised our efforts,” said one of the organizers of the exhibition.

“I have brought a 1948 model of Bentley Mark VI car to this expo. This car had been specially designed for the Queen of Baroda. One cannot find a similar car anywhere in India and world. The Queen of Baroda had asked the Bentley Company not to design a similar car for anyone else. This was the most expensive car of the year 1948,” said a participant of the expo.

Dharmaditya Patnaik, curator of Odisha Concours D’Elegance, expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming response to the expo.

“We are thrilled to witness the success of the first-ever vintage car expo in Odisha. We are also thankful to the Chief Minister for inaugurating the event,” he said.