Vintage Cars, Bikes Rally Through Necklace Road

Hyderabad:Classic cars and motorcycles took to Necklace Road on Republic Day as Hyderabad witnessed a vintage vehicle rally organised by staff of the Khairatabad regional transport office to promote road safety awareness. The convoy moved along the Tank Bund stretch in open traffic, drawing attention from passersby.

The rally featured a mix of pre-Independence and early post-Independence vehicles, including a green-and-white open-top Standard Herald-style convertible, Ponton-era Mercedes-Benz sedans from the 1950s, a Baby Hindustan or Morris Minor-based red-and-black car, a classic Mercedes-Benz coupe, a Willys Jeep, and several Royal Enfield motorcycles from the 1950s and 1960s. Riders on some of the motorcycles carried the tricolour as the convoy passed murals, palm-lined medians, and the Hussain Sagar stretch.

“It’s a Norton 650. I wanted to take it out, but some urgent work came up at the last minute,” said Shailendra Yadav, a city-based vintage car and bike enthusiast, who had planned to join the rally but could not make it.

Unlike barricaded displays or static exhibitions, the vehicles moved alongside everyday traffic. Cars, scooters, and pedestrians shared the road, while onlookers paused to record the procession on their phones. Yadav noted that such rallies usually circulate through informal networks. “Usually these things come through WhatsApp groups. That’s how we get information about rallies and shows,” he said, adding that Hyderabad’s vintage vehicle community remains active but loosely organised, connected more through small circles than formal clubs.

The Republic Day rally relied largely on visual presence. Photographs and short clips circulated on social media pages showed the vehicles spaced out along Necklace Road, sometimes flanked by modern sedans and SUVs. The contrast between decades-old grilles, rounded fenders, and whitewall tyres against present-day traffic became part of the spectacle.

Participants and observers described the rally as a public-facing activity rather than a closed enthusiast event. For enthusiasts like Yadav, it pointed to the continuity of Hyderabad’s vintage vehicle culture — owners maintaining their cars and bikes on their own time, sharing information through small networks, and bringing them out on days of public meaning.