First The Oberoi Concours d’Elegance puts spotlight on BMW 328

One of the main themes on the new The Oberoi Concours d’Elegance, held in India, was the BMW 328. The 328 was one of the finest lightweight pre-war race cars.

With a fine selection of cars and a top-notch jury, the inaugural The Oberoi Concours d’Elegance in Udaipur, India, made an excellent first impression. From the racing world, Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass were present as judges, with Giacomo Agostini presiding over the motorcycle classes.

With Pebble Beach’s Chair Sandra Button as chief judge, and with Villa d’Este master of ceremony Simon Kidston fulfilling the same role in India, The Oberoi could be an interesting newcomer on the Concours circuit.

Best of show

Many of the cars came from Indian collections. Best of Show went to Nishant Doosa’s 1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupé. Maharaj Duleep Singhji of Jodhpur’s flamboyant 1935 Delahaye 135MS with Figoni & Falaschi bodywork ended up most elegant pre-war car, with Rajiv Rai’s 1967 Lancia Flaminia GT taking that honour in the post-war category.

People’s cars and Maharaja class

With a ‘motoring for the masses’ class, we salute The Oberoi Concours attempt to create room for less obvious Concours cars was inspiring, to say the least. Entrants had to be cars that were available on the Indian market, after 1919. This brought cars like the Hindustan 10, the 1983 Maruti 800 and even the 2015 Tata Nano to the Concours field. Winner here was Karl Bhote’s 1956 Fiat 1100 Saloon.

Royal visit

At the complete opposite side of the spectrum, you had the class built around the cars of the Maharajas of Mysore. Here, Yohan Poonawala’s 1949 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Drophead Coupé – with James Young coachwork – won best in class. The car was later sold to the Maharaja of Baratput and it was actually used for transporting the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales on their visit to India in 1959. A link remained, as prince Michael of Kent was one of the judges on the Concours.