Second Edition of the ZigWheels Jadhavgadh Heritage Drive witnesses immense participation

Held from the 7-8th of May this year, the second edition of the ZigWheels Heritage Drive took place once again at the historic Fort Jadhavgadh, whose 300 year-old heritage has been restored and preserved till date and offered the perfect setting for a Vintage and Classic automobile event of such a high stature.

For this year’s Heritage Drive, only a select few from the four-wheeler and two-wheeler, and surprisingly one from three-wheeler category were asked to join the Heritage Drive on special invitation only and though it may seem like such a step would narrow down the overall number of participants, the final result proved only the contrary.

Around 38 cars (including 13 FIAT models) and as many as 26 classic motorcycles joined the pool of brilliantly restored, fine looking vintage automobiles gathered at Fort Jadhavgadh. Amongst the eloquent crowd were Rolls-Royces’, Bentleys’, Plymouth, Buicks’ and two-legged BSAs’, Norton’s, and Triumphs’. However, even in a pack of such exquisite and revolutionary designs and models, there were some that just begged for some special attention. Worthy of mention is the 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk belonging to Mr Homi Commissariat, which with its large Supercharged V8 engine was the fastest performance car of its time and only four known examples of this model exist in the world today. Jackie Shroff’s 1938 SS Jaguar 100 was present at the Heritage Drive for the second time and as always caught quite a few eyeballs for its flawless sleek design and well preserved interiors. While, the FIATs’ were the showstoppers for this years’ event, one model was of particular interest to FIAT enthusiasts present at the venue.

Present amongst the Italian car maker past and present model line-up was Vijay Mallya’s 1927 FIAT  Corsa 501S, a very unique machine because it was one of the earliest cars, which was sold over the counter to enthusiasts in the 1920’s. At that point in time, FIAT was the leading Grand Prix Winner. Amongst the motorcycles, there were quite a few special ones, which included Arish Dawar’s dazzling 1955 BSA Shooting Star, Jehangir Foroogh’s 1955 Norton ES2, Sam Solomon’s 1956 Velocette Venom Clubman and Siddhesh Mitkar’s 1957 Royal Enfield 700 Super Meteor. But a special mention must be made of Jehangir Foroogh’s 1926 AJS, which was one the oldest motorcycles at the event and was brought in spick and span working condition, which is unbelievable considering the original condition this bike was found in.

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Making a special entry into the guest list this time around was Paramjit Singh Bahia’s 1947 Indian Chief Roadmaster and Mandar Phadke’s 1944 Indian Chief, both brilliant machines with quite a story to tell.

Like in the inaugural edition, all the vintage cars and bikes were allocated a spot at the venue, where they had a chance to interact with the media and their vintage car counterparts and acquaintances and share their restoration and drive experiences in the most serene and exclusive location possible in the city.

After a series of photoshoots, and one on one interviews, the participants lined up once again for the much awaited commencement of the Heritage Drive. All the cars received great applaud and drove past the Jadgavgadh gate in one big line with crowds hurraying them to a great drive ahead. The motorcycles all followed suit and soon were all gathered near the start line where they revved their engines for the excited crowd and received much cheer in doing so.

The drive was followed by a grand ceremony where all the participants were given specially designed jadhavgadh trophies, which resembled the fort’s outer façade and were commemorated and praised for their efforts and relentless passion for vintage and class automobiles. A special Maratha dance recital by the local lads of Fort Jadhavgadh made the night a really special one.

Keen on organizing our very own special Heritage Drive event year after year, ZigWheels has already decided two themes for next years event, one of which will be NORTON motorcycles.

Having successfully completed another edition of its Vintage and Classic automobile event, which is fast gaining seamless popularity across the country, ZigWheels looks forward to carrying forward the same zest and grandeur in the 2012 edition