Sixteen countries, 12,000km, one 1950 MG YT to Gaydon
Daman Thakore, an Indian businessman, has made a 10-week journey to Britain from Mumbai in his 1950 MG YT. Travelling via Dubai, Iran, Azerbaijan,Turkey, Bulgaria, the Adriatic Coast, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and France, Daman reached the UK on October 28 before receiving a reception at the British Motor Museum the following day.
The car, named ‘Lal Pari’ has been in Daman’s family for decades and, describing the motivation for the trip, he explained: ‘Our adventure journey with Lal Pari, or Red Angel as we lovingly call her, has been from bedtime stories since I was three to real-life journeys now. Lal Pari spreads happiness and joy wherever it goes and we wish to share that with the rest of the world.’
Daman was met at the British Motor Museum by directors of the MG Octagon Car Club, of which Daman is India Representative. There he was presented with the club’s ‘Founders Trophy’ for the most enduring journey in a pre-’56 MG along with a certificate. The three-strong crew concluded their journey with a trip to the MG’s birthplace, the Abingdon factory, on Tuesday October 31.
GENEVIEVE HITS 70
The London to Brighton veteran car run was an even more nostalgic affair than usual. First away from the start at Hyde Park, marking the 70th anniversary of the BAFTA-winning film, Genevieve, starring Kenneth More and Kay Kendall, the two star cars from that much-loved romantic comedy had the honour. The Darracq ‘Genevive’ and her rival 'Spyker' were reunited to mark the milestone, both loaned by the Louwman Museum in the Netherlands. A number of other veteran cars from the Oscar-nominated classic were fitted with special Genevieve starting number plates, too, providing easy identification. It’s now 127 years since the original Emancipation Run, which was he
