The Cartier Travel With Style Concours d’Elegance took place in Hyderabad, India, and I was so fortunate to attend the incredible vintage car exhibition with the Cartier Middle East team.
Arriving into Hyderabad, we spent the first day exploring the ancient ruins of Golkonda Fort, listed as an archaeological treasure on the official “List of Monuments” in India. With a 10km outer wall, we spent a couple of hours discovering the number of royal apartments and halls, temples, mosques and stables, while taking endless photos.
Making our way back to the hotel in the heart of the city, we freshened up before attending the opening ceremony of the Concours d’Elegance at the breathtaking Chowmahalla Palace. Here we met with some incredible vintage car collectors who openly shared their fascinating stories about the journey of rebuilding their beloved cars dating back to the early 1900’s.
This year’s Cartier Travel With Style Concours d’Elegance would be held at the remarkable Taj Falaknuma Palace, the highlight to my trip and you will see why. Upon arriving to the palace, we were greeted by a very well educated gentleman who in fact was a descendant of the Nizams of Hyderabad. He would then take us on an extensive tour of the entire property with detailed remarks on every painting, room, monument and an overall history. I will let the following images tell the story:
Moving on from the palace, it was time to visit the renowned exhibition and learn more about the vintage cars and the stories they possess. Categories included the following:
Pre-War Classics – Rolls Royce – Celebrating India’s rich history with Rolls Royce cars
Pre-War Classics – Open to all cars build between 1919 to 1945
Post-War Classics – Open to cars build between 1946 to 1961
Américain Aérodynamique Class – Presenting American cars of the 30s with styling inspired by Aerodynamics
Roadsters Class – Till 1961| Celebrating Cartier’s “Roadster” brand
Indian Heritage Class – 1946 to 1960 | Celebrating India’s Indigenous Automotive History
Preservation Class – Open to all cars up to and including 1961
Put it this way, the Concours d’Elegance is car heaven for any and every car fanatic out there. My personal favourite was the Rolls-Royce 1930 Phantom II. Below are only a handful of images we snapped at the fair to give you a better understand about the types of cars present at the palace.
Stay tuned for next year’s The Cartier Travel With Style Concours d’Elegance!
