An older classic car from Chennai takes on the Himalayas and stays the course

What remains hardly retired of one’s grasp is much eye-catching than what is successful hand. Here is simply a “classic” flavour to this cosmopolitan truth. Ranjit Pratap holds a coveted finisher’s plaque from the Classic Himalayan Drive 2025, but would not person immoderate much of it.

Do not get this wrong. This is not the existential emptiness that sometimes shadows achievement; not the bottomless pit of despondency lying close beneath the summit. Ever since the plaque made it to the assemblage partition astatine his location successful Chennai, Ranjit has grown a mates of feet taller, and determination is an evident outpouring to his step. He defines the acquisition of rolling done the Himalayas arsenic fulfilling and Team Firefox’s behaviour of the lawsuit (November 1-10) arsenic impeccable, peculiarly the monolithic resources ploughed successful to cushion the edges. And successful this authorities of elation, Ranjit has taken a calculated determination not to reprise the effort that begot him this enriching acquisition and recognition. Because “it is excessively pugnacious connected the system”.

Ranjit (CMD of Rayala Corporation and laminitis of Historical Car Association of India) is referring not wholly to his assemblage and mind, but to the wheels that carried him done this ten-day adventure. He headed into the Drive with a 1977 Peugeot 504 (diesel). That is par from the course. The Classic Himalayan Drive, which has 5 editions to its name, is designed exclusively for classical and neo-classic cars with their commencement years ranging from 1958 to 2002. 

The way for this variation was Noida-Ramnagar-Corbett National Park-Rishikesh-Theog- Jalori Pass-Rohtang Pass via Atal Tunnel and Koksar-Manali-Chandigarh. 

The Classic Himalayan Drive runs connected nostalgia the way seeking to recreate the ones followed by the iconic Himalayan rally of the 1980s, but removing the ragged edges. But the thrust happens successful a existent property of a benignant wherever information tin beryllium minimised, not wiped disconnected the map. The thrust is non-competitive and each finisher is simply a winner. However, participants vie against steep inclines, hairpin bends, roads washed by rains, and constrictive roads caressing boulders. And ironically, they are pitted against their ain machines, peculiarly those astatine the wheels of older classics.

Ranjit’s driveway resembles a buying complex’s parking batch boasting a wide postulation of classical cars. On the look of it, helium had a occupation connected his hands deciding connected the instrumentality that would spell with him and his woman Uma Ranjit (as navigator) to the Himalayas. In the end, the four-speed, 2.3-litre (diesel) 1977 Peugeot 504 seemed similar a large choice. 

He did not person 2nd thoughts astir the determination until Day 7 of the Drive erstwhile helium recovered himself staring up astatine the Jalori Pass, with the braking capableness of his car reduced to 20%. At that point, helium had a wistful longing for his 2000 Prado, which was good wrong the 1958-2002 cut-off. 

A bulk of the participants — peculiarly those from different shores including the United Kingdom, France, Kenya, Malaysia and Singapore — had gone successful for younger classics amended suited for the unhelpful conditions. There was besides a clutch of modern four-wheel drives arsenic an add-on. The Indian contingent included half-a-dozen older classics, retired of which lone 2 (Ranjit’s 1977 Peugeot 504 and Kolkata-based Prithivi Raj Tagore’s 1959 Mercedes-Benz 180 Ponton) made it to the finish.

In its time, Peugeot 504 was hailed arsenic an all-season car. Post-Himalayan Drive, erstwhile this writer saw this darker-beige-coloured car smugly lazing astir successful Ranjit’s driveway, acceptable for a photoshoot, helium knew wherefore straightaway. With a linear-look, acold from bulbous and strung tightly together, somewhat Chippiparai-like — oregon whippet-like, for occidental sensibilities — this instrumentality would person made winsome archetypal impressions astatine dates and committee meetings. According to corporate automotive memory, it had the staying powerfulness to beryllium a reliable state successful tract work. “All implicit Africa, the Peugeot 504 was utilized arsenic an mundane conveyance arsenic it could withstand atrocious roads. Peugeot had an assembly installation successful Kenya,” remarks Ranjit. The pickup mentation of the Peugeot 504 was said to beryllium a trusty ”farmhand”.

However, connected the Drive, the limitations of his Peugeot 504 could not beryllium swept nether the snow. It was inactive a rear-wheel-drive machine thrust into a concern amended near to four-wheel drives. Ranjit explains: “Being a rear instrumentality drive, this car has an borderline implicit front-wheel drives connected somewhat challenging inclines. But it could easy conscionable its Waterloo successful roads that are snow-washed; adjacent the instauration of an aftermarket constricted gaffe differential would not amended its show importantly successful specified an environment.”

Ranjit recalls that astatine Jalori Pass, helium tackled a scary incline that lasted 7 kilometres by reducing his enactment to conscionable the archetypal gear, keeping the motor humming, cautious capable not to slave-drive it lest it fumed astatine him, overheating and squatting down successful an enactment of non-cooperation. And the slope connected the diminution was scarier still, arsenic the car was braking astatine 20% percent of its braking capableness owed to a failed brake booster. 

On the hair-raising thrust up and down Jalori Pass, Ranjit had a sensation of the “hedge” astir the astir 40 participants enactment successful by Team Firefox — “six Deputy Clerks of the Course with of course, the Clerk of the Course, Sudev Brar; 2 sweeps, 1 of them being Brar himself; and a full-fledged squad of mechanics and a bully fig of betterment flatbeds and ambulances”.

Ranjit elaborates: “Every day, we had to screen betwixt 200 to 250 kilometres, and overall, we had clocked astir 2,000 kilometres; looking back, it seems similar a occurrence that we made it crossed this region and survived treacherous roadworthy conditions, including a batch of washed-out patches and those deed by past landslides. It was imaginable due to the fact that of Rajan Syal’s squad taking attraction of the minutest details, not to notation the 1980s nostalgia that egged america on.”