Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Rally 2024
On November 24, Indian Ocean were playing in Goa, Porsche had their annual Dubai get-together, and the Autocar India-organised Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Rally 2024 was scheduled to take place in Mumbai. My inability to be at two or more events at once came to the fore.
I've heard Rahul Ram sing, played Bandeh on loop for longer than I can remember, and even had the rare opportunity to meet the guy — to tell him how Kandisa played in the background when I met and fell in love with my partner. On the other hand, Dubai isn't too far, and the opportunity to be a part of a Porsche gathering isn't one to miss. But The Car Cult is run on a tight budget, and with hopefully more important things planned for 2025, I wouldn't have been able to finance this outing without losing my sleep. That leaves us with my original choice for where I wanted to be on November 24, 2024 — and look how the three-pointed stars aligned to make it happen.
When Perseus Bandrawalla rings, you don't ignore that. When he reprimands you for not attending a rally he painstakingly organised, you make a point to attend the next one. It's as simple as that.
I first attended the MBCCR in 2019, after unshackling myself from a full-time job as a magazine writer and on my way to choosing the freelance life. The story was published in Mercedes Enthusiast that year, earning me my first piece in a magazine I adored. The rally, which started in 2014, proved to be a great event to cover, too. It was a rare opportunity to see cars that I didn't quite imagine could be seen in India, let alone on the streets of Mumbai.
Five years later, MBCCR 2024 looked as promising, if not more. I'm reliably informed through a press release by Autocar India (I didn't count) that about 100 cars made it to this year's event. It's not a small number by any yardstick, especially considering many of these cars weren't even everyday cars when new. The official segregation was such that the rally had a special 'class' for the W124 (which celebrates its 40th in 2024), one for cars designed by the late Bruno Sacco, and each for classics with a supercharged engine, an extended wheelbase, and those which covered the length and breadth of the country to be a part of this annual event. An inclusion of 'Tribute Class' in this year's rota meant the local replicas were also on display, too.
If you remember, towards the end of #CarTwitter as we knew it, the phrase 'Always check the car park' gained prominence. I am unsure who its owner was, but @helen is possibly the custodian. While the car park at Taj Land's End isn't glamorous, some of my favourites this year were outside the hotel concourse.
Not too far from the main lobby was another display, which had a nice variety of 124-series cars and Sacco-designed models parked outside. The main display area was populated with standout cars from well-known local collections as well as individual collectors.
The rally happens with Mercedes-Benz India's support, so visitors can expect a handful of modern models to be displayed or part of the convoy. The less said about modern cars, the better, especially when viewed next to nearly a hundred extremely nice-looking classics, but it's not easy to ignore a V12-engined 223-series Maybach S-Class.
The rest of the field wasn't any less captivating, though, especially with the wide variety of models on display. Some had battle scars, some were impeccable, some had questionable modifications, and some stayed true to the factory spec. No matter where you looked, there was something that would attract all your attention at once. That has been the definitive feature of MBCCR right from the time they formalised this event.
As a single-make event, MBCCR has reached the point where they ought to introduce a Concours event. I feel this is necessary in the burgeoning classic car market and will be a great step towards standardisation. Also, since this introduces many newcomers to restoration, it'll go a long way in helping them understand the difference between an actual concours-ready car and one that's not.
The city of Mumbai has had a tradition of early Sunday car meet-ups, and MBCCR is more than an extension of that, but the feeling is very similar. Familiar faces driving cars that you wouldn't expect to see regularly and the occasional ultra high-value model you didn't know existed, all brought together for car lovers to witness. Also, MBCCR serves as a double treat for Shah Rukh Khan fans who line up to get a glimpse of the Bollywood star's house, and amidst the commotion, they turn around to see a bunch of stars (a constellation?) being driven like a scene from the last century. The moment is surreal.
Expect to see some more photos shortly.