Classic cars and vintage cars hold significant value among collectors worldwide. Most vintage car owners strive to maintain their cars in pristine condition, with only a small percentage actually taking these cars out on the road. If you live in a metropolitan city like Delhi, it’s rare to see them on the road. However, a family from Gujarat embarked on an epic road trip to London in their 73-year-old vintage MG car. The family has now successfully completed the journey and reached England.
The Ahmedabad-based family began their journey in August of this year. Although this wasn’t the first time someone attempted a road trip like this, the vintage MG car made it special. Three generations of the Ahmedabad-based family traveled in the car to London, affectionately naming their MG car “Lal Pari” (Red Angel) due to its color. According to reports, the family reached England and concluded the trip on October 31, which is ‘National Unity Day.’ They covered over 11,000 km and visited 14 countries during their vintage car road trip.
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Daman Thakore, his father, and his 21-year-old daughter were present in the car during the road trip. Mr. Thakore and his family embarked on this journey with the aim of spreading smiles and the message of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam – One world, One family. Upon completing the trip, Mr. Thakore gifted a special statue to a representative of the British King. The statue was made of silver and resembled a smaller version of the Statue of Unity.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Thakore said, “Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the most influential figures in the history of free India and a symbol of unity, who integrated more than 560 princely states into the Union of India within a remarkably short span of time, was one of the motivating factors for the remarkable journey in a 73-year-old classic car from India to London.”
Mr. Thakore also added that he undertook this road trip to honor his parents who loved going on car trips during Diwali holidays. On August 10, Gujarat’s Tourism Minister, Shri Mulubhai Bera, flagged off the journey. The car reached Mumbai on August 13, and the trip resumed with a flag-off by Maharashtra’s Tourism Minister Girish Mahajan. The car was then shipped to Dubai, from where the family continued their journey.
They even had a support car, which they named “Lal Pari ki Saheli” (Red Angel’s friend). This car had a photographer and a filmmaker tasked with capturing precious moments during the journey. A vintage car expert also accompanied them on this trip. The family was well-prepared and had conducted extensive research for the trip. After shipping the car to Dubai, they drove it from Dubai to Sharjah and then took a ferry to Bandar Abbas in Iran. From there, they drove through Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and entered Europe. The route then took them to Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, and finally the UK. It’s unclear whether the family skipped any of these countries during their trip.
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