The First Concours d’Elegance for historic vehicles in Pakistan was a wonderful celebration of the automobile, as the sun set on Saturday the 24th of February, with surreal orange light pouring on over 70 cars on display, under the dark silhouettes of the palm trees and the silent flight of eagles in the skies of Karachi.
It will be a moment to remember for the Veteran & Classic Car Club of Pakistan, and for FIVA as well, represented on this occasion by its President Tiddo Bresters and the Secretary General Gian Mario Mollar.
The Pakistani club joined the FIVA family back in 2021, under the charismatic guidance of Mohsin Ikram, a lifetime enthusiast and pioneer collector in the country. Given the current international situation, the organisation of the event was far from easy and faced several postponements, but the capable team of VCCCP eventually managed to deliver a memorable event in the charming background of the Beach Luxury Hotel.
It was very challenging for the Jury to select the winners amongst so many interesting cars, several of which were true pieces of Pakistani history. The jury was composed of the FIVA delegation, as well as three experts from Pakistan: Thusna Patel, the first Pakistani woman rally driver, Ahmed Shahid Ahmed and Shahid Ali, all very knowledgeable experts and historic vehicle enthusiasts.
The selection process took the best part of the day, but then the results must have been heartening for the winners.
For the first category “Veteran & Vintage”, covering vehicles up to 1945, the winner was an impressive 1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, used on 14 August 1947 to bring the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, to the Parliament House to announce the birth of the nation. The runner-up for this category was a 1926 Hupmobile, whose condition and history were remarkable.
The Preservation Award went to a 1924 Amilcar C4, probably the only one of its kind in this part of the world. The history of the ‘discovering’ of the car, as well as the efforts to collect parts from all over Europe, fascinated the Jury.
The second category was dedicated to Post-War Cars, from 1945 to 1960, and the first classified was the 1950 Jaguar Mk V, in immaculate condition, followed by an eye-catching Chevrolet Corvette from 1958.
The third category – from 1960 up to 1994 – was the hardest to decide about, given the large number of vehicles and their diversity. The choice of the Jury finally fell on the immortal design of a 1963 Jaguar E-Type convertible, and there was a tie for the runner-up between a grey Aston Martin DB6 and a 1984 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL.
The FIVA guests enjoyed the overwhelming local hospitality and the brotherly ambiance of the event.
President Tiddo Bresters declared: “This event was a festival of positive surprises. I never had expected to see so many historic vehicles of such high quality in Pakistan. Also the enthusiasm and passion of the owners and visitors was beyond expectation. And last but not least the organizor, the tireless Mohsin Ikram, deserves all my admiration for setting up such a great event in such short time, and for creating an ambiance that comes close to many renowned concours d elegance in other parts of the world. It is very inspiring and encouraging that even in Pakistan, a relatively young country but with an eventful history and a rich culture and still undiscovered beautiful landscapes, there is such an enthusiastic historic vehicle movement, and that FIVA is held in high regard.
Mohsin Ikram declared: “Pakistan Concourse d’Elegance has took the vintage car movement to another level. FIVA’s presence will go a long way in improving the vintage car preservation in Pakistan”
Text by: Gian Mario Mollar
Pictures: Mohsin Ikram