70 EMG and Jaipur Roll Out Red Carpet for the Cartier ‘Travel With Style’ Concours d’Elegance

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Business Events | March 14, 2019 | News

70 EMG

The sixth edition of Cartier ‘Travel With Style’ Concours d’Elegance took place at Jaipur’s luxurious Rambagh Palace on February 23 – 24. The biennial event has earlier been hosted alternately in the cities of Mumbai and Delhi before heading to the City of Nizams, Hyderabad, in 2017. For 2019, the automotive extravaganza headed to the Pink City of Jaipur. The highly-acclaimed Concours was produced by one of India’s leading event and experiential marketing companies – the Seventy Event Media Group (70 EMG). In fact, the Mumbai-headquartered company has produced all the editions of Cartier ‘Travel With Style’ Concours d’Elegance since the property’s inception in 2008. 

The Cartier Concours, as those in the hobby are well aware, has been greatly instrumental in raising the level of interest in preserving and restoring vintage and classic cars in India. The event attracts some of the biggest royalties, celebrities, sports person, and businessmen from India and rest of the world. 

As has been the tradition since the very first edition of Cartier ‘Travel With Style’ Concours d’Elegance, H. H. Rana Manvendra Singh of Barwani curated the sixth edition of the event. H.H. Rana Manvendra Singh belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Barwani in Madhya Pradesh. He has been a judge at the world famous Pebble Beach Concours in California and a renowned authority on classic and vintage cars in India. 

For the Jaipur edition of the Concours, HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO was appointed as the Chairman while Simon Kidston was the Chief Judge. Prince Michael, a keen and knowledgeable car enthusiast, supports 100+ charities and organizations, including the Royal Automobile Club, of which he is also the President. Simon Kidston is a globally renowned authority in classic cars and the co-founder Brooks (now Bonhams) which has been responsible for the auction of some of the world’s highest-value motor cars.

The prestigious jury included some of the biggest names from the automotive and motorsport universe such as Giacomo Agostini (MotoGP legend and winner of 15 World Championships), Sandra Button (Chairman of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance), Nicholas Coleridge CBE (Chairman of Conde Nast Britain), and many more. 

The variety of cars and motorcycles on display at the Cartier ‘Travel With Style’ Concours d'Elegance were divided into various categories. For the four-wheelers, categories included Pre-War Classics (American/European), Pre-War Classics European – Rolls Royce, Post-War Classics (American/European), Roadster, Preservation Class and Indian Heritage Class.

The Thunderbird Class paid homage to one of Ford’s most beautiful and successful models. The first four generations of Ford Thunderbird, starting from 1955, were on display at the luxurious Rambagh Palace. 

This edition also introduced a never-seen-before Pre-War Transportation Class which saw an interesting array of wagons, carriers and other commercial vehicles each with their unique body style. The Jaipur Concours also saw the introduction of Sports Cars Class which had relatively newer cars from the 1960s and ‘70s.

The motorcycles were divided into three different classes: Veteran Vintage, Pre-War and Post-War.

Cartier Travel With Style Concours d’Elegance has played a crucial role in the last 10 years in giving Indian classic and vintage car collectors a podium to celebrate their passion. Curator HH Rana Manvendra Singh said, “I think it’s become a dominant force in saving our automotive heritage. By bringing in new classes, Cartier is saving a lot of things – a lot of emotions, memories, nostalgia which are attached to these machines.” 

Moreover, the event, as well as India’s automobile scene, has started receiving global acceptance and recognition. “From 2009 to now, there is a remarkable amount of difference in terms of restoration. The cars from India are being invited at events like Pebble Beach. Not only that, we have CEOs of three of the most prominent Concours in the world as judges, which is a rare occurrence. We have CEO of Pebble Beach – Sandra Button, Mr. Lorenzo from Vila d’Este and Lord March from Goodwood,” adds the scion of the erstwhile royal family of Barwani. 

The first of this two-day automotive splendour was reserved for judging where the vehicles underwent strict scrutiny under the experienced eyes of judges. The distinguished jury excels at having a keen eye for appreciation for fine form, exquisite style and exceptional design. Each rivet, body line, paintwork, steering angle, dashboard patina and quality of seat leather was carefully examined along with details of ownership history, service records and restoration process carried out over the years.

On the second day of the event, VVIPs and invited guests got a chance to witness the entire array of motorcycles, cars and commercial vehicles on display at the sprawling Rambagh Palace lawns. Sumptuous food & beverages and melodious tunes of dozens of resident Peacocks under the autumn sunset up the ambiance for an afternoon of automotive splendour. As the shadows grew longer, against the backdrop of the Rambagh Palace, the jury awarded prizes to the winners across classes.

Looking back at the last ten years of Cartier Travel With Style Concours d’Elegance, 70 EMG’s CEO, Martin da Costa said, “It's been a wonderful weekend here in Jaipur for the Cartier Concours. Our tenth year of the event and it's a pleasure to have been an integral part of building India's world-famous vintage and classic car scene.”