Dubai: 3 friends to drive around India in nearly 100-year-old vintage cars

Three Dubai residents have pressed the accelerator on an ambitious plan to drive their classic cars dating back to 1935 along the coast of India. Ian Harfield, Matt Denton and Howard Lambert will make their way from Mumbai all the way to the southern Indian town of Kochi, covering more than 1,500 kilometres in their cars.

Ian will drive his 1935 Rolls Royce 20/25, while Matt will pilot his 1935 Buick Series 40, and Howard will join them in his 1971 Volkswagen Trekker.

“We don’t have a definitive plan because anything could happen on the way,” said Ian. “The cars could break down, and we could spend hours trying to fix it, or we could cover way more ground than we expected to. So we have a general idea of where we will go and which places we will stop at, but we haven’t booked any hotels. We are going to take it one day at a time.”

The cars have been shipped from Dubai and will reach Mumbai by March 28. After all the formalities, the Dubai residents hope to kick off their drive from the Gateway of India in April. The men have been in touch with several classic car groups in India. “They have all been incredibly supportive, and we are hoping to meet some of them during our trip,” said Howard.

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Having been on long drives before, the men have a packed kit of car spare parts and medicines. “Each of us needs specific spanners that will fit out particular engines,” said Matt. “So we each have our own set of tools. Also, the beauty of older cars is that most of the issues are fixable with spare parts, unlike the newer cars, where everything is controlled by electronics. So we are fairly confident that we can make it through India.”

Past rides

The British expats, who met in Dubai and connected over their shared passion for cars, have been going on similar rides for over two years. “Our first trip was driving from Dubai to Salalah, which was almost the same distance,” said Ian. “After that, we did a three-peak trip along with several other drivers covering three of the UAE’s highest peaks in one day.”

However, Howard admitted that the ride was rough on his car, and it took him almost six months to get it back in shape. “These vehicles are designed to cruise happily at speeds of 60kmph because, at the time they were created, cars only went that fast,” he said. “So when you go too fast, it puts a lot of pressure on them. That is why we are not too worried about India. We know the roads and speeds won’t be too much.”

The men have a few traditions that they have done on their previous ride that they hope to emulate in India. “We are Englishmen, so we carry our dinner jackets everywhere,” said Matt. “So in the middle of Oman, at a hotel frequented by oil rig workers, we turned up wearing dinner jackets. It was a very funny experience that we want to do in India as well.”

Knowing their cars

For these friends, these rides are about knowing their cars on a deeper level. “Many people buy classic cars and park them in their garages,” said Ian. “For us, it is important to ride our cars and know them. It is part of the charm of being a classic car owner.”

Matt said that they learned to listen to their cars during these long drives. “Once you start driving, you know how your car sounds,” he said. “So any time there is a small change, you hear it, and then you know something that needs to be checked.”

For Howard, his love for classic cars began when his father bought him an old car as his first vehicle. “I took my girlfriend out on a ride the second day I bought it, and it broke down,” he said. “So I quickly learnt the different parts of the car, how to fix it and how to keep it on the road. At the time, it was frustrating, but now, I am thankful because it started a love affair for life.”

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