The Raymond Group celebrated its 100th Anniversary by organising the biggest automotive festival at Raymond Ground from January 10-12. After visiting the event, I was flabbergasted at the scale and sheer variety of cars on display! The show was organized by Super Car Club Garage or SCCG and was simply the best mixture of Vintage, Modern Classics, and the newest Supercars. Join me for a thorough tour of the event, highlighting some of the most notable stuff.
Arguably, the coolest aspect of the Raymond Autofest was that there was no entry fee. This has to be appreciated as aspiring car enthusiasts don’t have deep pockets. Allowing a large section and managing the event to a professional standard has to be one of the most commendable aspects of the show. The AutoFest included multiple celebrities such as Ravi Shastri, Mika Hakkinen, Gaurav Gill and Narain Karthikeyan. Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde also made an appearance which, if analysed at a deeper level, means that governments and legislation can warm up to the idea of Automotive events after all!
The centrepiece of the AutoFest was the Audi 100 which is a national treasure as it was gifted to Ravi Shastri after winning the 1985 Benson and Hedges World Championship of Cricket. It was restored by SCCG and the Chairman and Managing Director of the Raymond Group, Gautam Singhania, handed over the keys of this special Audi on Friday! The Audi 100 was also one of the first Audis to be ever sold in India and comes with a 2.1 Litre 5-cylinder engine and a 4 4-speed Automatic Transmission. The reason the Audi 100 had to go under restoration was because it was sitting idle after Audi stopped supplying parts for the sedan in 1993. The colour code was procured from Audi whilst the engine, air conditioning, and wiring were all worked at the SCCG. In its current form, it looks like a time capsule and even Shastri commented “It looks like the car I won!”
The supercars at the AutoFest looked more like a lot waiting to be purchased as opposed to a display. There was something special at every corner. The supercar display began with the Ferrari 488 Pista and Pista Spider in special colours. However, the predecessor to the Pista stole the show as the 458 Speciale with its menacing presence. The blue and white stripe on top of the triple-layer yellow looked unlike anything else in the sun. However, the best modern Ferrari on display has to be the 812 Competizione in its launch specification of Matte Grey and Yellow Stripe with its 830hp NA V12 and opaque rear window!
The McLarens were next and whilst the Orange 720S looked like a spaceship, the grey 720S with turquoise accents (and wheels) will take the cake for being the most interesting spec car. The GTRs were next and it was a delight seeing the famous Imzilla beside a kitted-out Red GTR with a carbon fibre hood. The Mercedes AMG GTRs looked much cooler (in my opinion) in Solarbeam Yellow and Orange with Carbon Fibre parts respectively. As cool as Ferraris are, I would rate the presence of a Lamborghini above the Scuderia. There was the Huracan Tecnica which was painted black, therefore, I couldn’t appreciate the aerodynamic changes made to the platform. There was a Huracan wrapped in white and burgundy with Tiger, reminiscent of the Shiv Sena symbol from the 1990s, embossed on the sides and the hood! However, the Lamborghini that stole my attention was the Aventador SVJ and appreciating it in green has to be my highlight of the event.
The other side of the ground wasn’t any less cool. We started with a look at the 992 911 GT3RS in Shark Blue with Magnesium Wheels which looked insane. There was also the GT3 Touring that looked subtle but aggressive. There was also the 911 GT3 in red which allowed me to understand the differences between the ultimate track machines and get up close with cars that are so similar but different at the same time! The Porsche lineup ends with a 997 Turbo in Gold with carbon stripes.
If you feel like missing a bit of the American Pie, worry not, it’s here. The two Ford Mustangs looked extremely cool next to each other with their wrap designs. There was also a right-hand drive Dodge Challenger RT which wasn’t something that I was expecting to see in India. It sent me back to the days of Fast and Furious and I wished I could listen to its Hemi V8! The BMW M2 which was recently wrapped neon and from Imran Majid was also in the stands and looked good in the sunshine with its wrap. Cars such as the Aston Martin Vantage and Jaguar F Type R Convertible deserve their spot on the list as these aren’t common spots in the sea of Ferraris and Lamborghini.
There was also the little drift show which had the Mustang Mach 1, S13 Silvia, 240SX, and the E46 3 Series. These cars brought the spice to the show! In addition to the supercars, there were a lot of Vintage and Classic cars at the Festival as well. In terms of the 1990s, the Dodge Viper was sporting a blue colour with white stripes.
The wet dreams of a JDM Fanboy came true thanks to a Supra in white with a body and an orange R33 Nissan Skyline GTR! Thankfully, the presence of the Subaru WRX STI didn’t tempt me to get a Vape Addiction. Amongst the classics, the Mercedes Station Wagon with the surfboard was the coolest. A Special mention should be made to the Mercedes 300E with the Brabus Bodykit.
There were 100s of Vintage cars but the Rolls Royce from the era seemed to be the choice for the kings and queens from the era! I wish I could dive deep into what makes them special but I must admit, my lack of knowledge prevents me even if I can appreciate the pristine condition of the models. There were the Mercedes 600 Grosser Limousines on display which looked stunning. There were a lot of bikes on display as well but it is also an area where I fall short other than recognizing the Kawasaki H2, Suzuki GSXR, Hayabusa, R1! It was so insane that from one side, it was impossible to capture the lineup. Events like these don’t happen often, and I am glad that I got to attend it.
