Jinnah’s Rolls-Royce cars run in Cross Country Rally

This Rolls Royce was gifted to Jinnah by the Queen of England and delivered to him on April 2, 1948 and it was owned by Pakistan heads of state till 1950 before it was acquired by the UK high commissioner. (AN photo by M.F. Sabir)

Besides Rolls-Royce, nearly 27 Ford, Mustang, Aston Martin, Mercedes, MGs, Buick, Cadillac and Jaguar and other vintage and classic cars are part of the rally. (AN photo by M.F. Sabir)

Karim Chhapra, owner of the historical Rolls Royce Silver Ghost 1924, bought this car from Nawabs of Bahawalpur. The car was used by Jinnah and Mountbatten in 1947. (AN photo)

Rolls Royce Silver Ghost 1924 was owned by Nawab of Bawalpur. (AN photo)

Karim Chhapra, a member of VCCCP, restored this Rolls Royce Silver Ghost 1924, beingused by Jinnah on 14 August 1947, after acquiring from family of Nawab of Bawalpur in 2004. (AN photo)

Karim Chhapra, a member of VCCCP, restored this Rolls Royce Silver Ghost 1924, being used by Jinnah on 14 August 1947, after acquiring from family of Nawab of Bawalpur in 2004. (AN photo)

Sindh Governor, Imran Ismail, and U.S. Consul General in Karachi, JoAnne Wagner are seated in the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost 1924, once used by Muhammad Ali Jinnah for going his oath taking as first governor general of Pakistan. (AN photo by M.F. Sabir)

Members of the VCCCP with their cars before started of the rally at Sindh’s Governor House here on Saturday. (AN photo by M.F. Sabir)

Sindh Governor, Imran Ismail, and U.S. Consul General in Karachi, JoAnne Wagner visited the car show before start of the rally here at Governor House, Karachi on Saturday. (AN photo by M.F. Sabir)

Sindh Governor, Imran Ismail, and U.S. Consul General in Karachi, JoAnne Wagner are seated in the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost 1924 as rally starts at Governor House, Karachi here on Saturday. (AN photo by M.F. Sabir)

The Vintage & Classic Car Club (VCCCP) was formed in 1986 by Mohsin Ikram and Jim Agha to cater to those who shared their passion of collecting, restoring and driving vintage and classic cars. (AN photo by M.F. Sabir)

• Nearly 28 other cars are part of Classic Car Club of Pakistan (VCCCP) Annual Cross-Country Rally
• Participants term the vintage cars' rally a great way to present softer image of Pakistan

KARACHI: August 14, 1947! A Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost drives out of the Sindh’s Governor House and goes towards the Sindh Assembly building in Karachi, the seaside metropolis, then capital of the newly curved out Pakistan.

In the back seat, there is father of the nation, Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who is accompanied by last Viceroy of India, Louis Mountbatten. Jinnah is going to take oath as his country’s first governor general in the constituent assembly.

On Sunday – a little over 71 years after that historical day in the life of Pakistan  –  the same Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, having the Sindh Governor, Imran Ismail, and U.S. Consul General in Karachi, JoAnne Wagner, in the back seat, is driven out of this historical building, however, the car is not going towards assembly building at court road.

Instead, it is joining nearly 28 other vintage and classic cars to resume the Vintage Classic Car Club of Pakistan (VCCCP) Annual Cross-Country Rally, which a day earlier had embarked upon its journey from Hub in Balochistan, and will culminate at Peshawar on December 9, after passing through Lahore, Islamabad and other small and big cities of the country.  

Karim Chhapra, owner of the historical Rolls Royce Silver Ghost 1924, says the car was used by Jinnah on the historical day, however, it was now owned by him.

The car, he informs, is from the collection of Nawab of Bahawalpur. The car was standing on bricks in garage of the Nawabs for 46 long years due to litigation before it was auctioned and acquired by Chhapra in 2004.

“I was lucky to get the car after which I spent 18 months to restore it to the original condition,” Chhapra told Arab News.

This rally, which Mohsin Ikram, founder & Chairman of the VCCCP, says is the first which will be passing through all four provinces, has another Rolls Royce, which was used by father of the nation for comparatively longer period.

Altaf Hashwani, owner of the car, told Arab News that this Rolls Royce was gifted to Jinnah by the Queen of England and delivered to him on April 2, 1948, which he used for going to office till his death.

“A silver wrath hopper touring limousine was finished in black with beige leather to front and rear and there is an instruction that resin glue was to be used and not animal glue. Coconut fiber was substituted for horse hair and kapok for ordinary down,” he said.

In 1950, the touring limousine, Hashwani informs, left the head of the state’s ownership when it was acquired by the UK high commissioner, in Karachi.

Besides Rolls-Royce, nearly 27 Ford, Mustang, Aston Martin, Mercedes, MGs, Buick, Cadillac and Jaguar and other vintage and classic cars are part of the rally.

“This is an excellent classic car show, which will give out a message that Pakistan is a country of peace-loving people who love culture and heritage. Heritage is not only a building but these moving cars are also our heritage,”

Governor Sindh, Imran Ismail, told Arab News while lauding the organizers of the rally for holding the event for 9 consecutive years.

Ikram, who bought his first classic car in 1980 when he was 16 years old, says the rally will give out a great message to the outside world.

“Our people love culture and heritage. The old classic cars are our heritage, which we have protected in the best possible way,” Ikram told Arab News.

Around 30 cars, he told, are part of the rally from Karachi whereas 20 classic cars will be added to it in Lahore. “There will be car shows in Lahore, and Islamabad whereas concluding ceremony will be held at Islamia college, Peshawar,” Ikram informed, and urged upon the people to share photos if they find abandoned old cars in the neighborhoods. “Just send us the photos, so that the old cars may be restored,” he said.

Seeing photos of the car rallies in Pakistan on social media, Ikram says, a man named Peter Nobel from Europe, who had toured Balochistan some three decades ago, contacted him and expressed his desire that he wants to come and visit Pakistan in his car of 1925 model.

Anum Shahzeb, who became the first women driver of the rally when she drove her vintage car all the way from Karachi to Peshawar five years back, told Arab News that she will part of the rally from Karachi to Lahore and then after a short break will join, what she calls an extended family of car drivers, in Islamabad for going onwards to Peshawar.

“The rally of vintage cars is great for the softer image of Pakistan.” She told Arab News.

“This is not just a hobby, it’s an effort to protect the heritage and, most importantly, to promote soft-image of Pakistan. We are peace loving people,” Shahzeb said.