Imagine a fashion show. Filled with beauty all around. Sometimes elegant, sometimes bold, sometimes cute, but each one worthy of the pageant. That’s what the second edition of The Oberoi Concours d’Elegance 2026 was — except the models were the 92 cars and the 31 two-wheelers that were showcased at the event. Admittedly, not all the cars competed against each other for the podium, and some were there merely as exhibitions. Each one of them, however, brought along sheer beauty and elegance that, strangely, engineering can produce when mixed in right doses with artistry and craftsmanship.
Held at the extensive grounds of The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, the spectacular prelude — curated by renowned automotive enthusiast Manvendra Singh Barwani and directed by Siddhraj Singh — featured two non-competitive classes for cars. All seven Rolls-Royce Phantoms belonging to industrialist Yohan Poonawalla formed a dedicated Phantom retrospective and were on display to celebrate 101 years of the brand’s most famous legacy nameplate. Among the fabulous display was the rarest of rare 1928 Phantom I that began life as Chassis 17EX, an experimental model built specifically to get up to a top speed of 100mph (161kmph). Subsequently sold to the Maharaja of Kashmir and then beyond Indian borders, before Poonawala brought it back recently.
Next in line was the 1933 Phantom II Continental that had once belonged to Captain Sir Malcolm Campbell. Shining in its Blue Bird Sax Blue paintjob, it still sports Campbell’s St. Christopher badge, a police siren and the tri-trumpet horn. Pride of place was occupied by the 1937 Phantom III that had once belonged to the Maharaja of Panchkote, the 1962 Phantom V that was owned by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Ali al Thani (eighth ruler of Qatar), and the 1979 Phantom VI of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Rounding off the collection were the 2005 Phantom VII and the 2025 Phantom VIII bought new by Poonawalla.
The other exhibition class was headlined by the 1959 BMW 507 Series II Roadster and the 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL coupé, both belonging to BMW Group Classic and brought to the show from the BMW Museum in Munich, Germany. Equally significant was the 1939 Dodge D11 of the celebrated advocate Diljeet Titus, which had once been the state car of the Maharaja of Palitana, Gujarat. Bringing this class to its conclusion was the 2025 BMW Concept Speedtop, a coach-built shooting brake owned by the BMW Group.
“The second season of The Oberoi Concours d’Elegance reflects our enduring commitment to preserving automotive heritage and celebrating India’s unique motoring history. We are delighted once again to welcome the global classic automobile community to Udaipur and to present an experience that honours both tradition and our commitment to restoration excellence,” said Arjun Oberoi, executive chairman at The Oberoi Group.
Echoing his sentiment was curator Manvendra Singh Barwani, “India remains a remarkable repository of automotive history. The Oberoi Concours d’Elegance provides an exceptional platform to present these automobiles as cultural artefacts shaped by patrons, craftsmen, and time.”
There was a total of 16 competition classes with two-wheelers spread across five, and the cars spread across the remaining 11. Additionally, there were eight special awards that were given out. The judging itself was done by a panel of 17 experts led by Sandra Button as chief judge, who is also the chairperson at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance held annually in California. Her team included names such as three-times Formula 1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, Giacomo Agostini (winner of 15 Motorcycle World Championships), and 10 Isle of Man TTs (world's oldest and most dangerous annual motorcycle race), Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialist Louise Wood, among others.
Yohan Poonawalla was honoured with a special mention plaque for the Phantom Retrospective. The TRS Oberoi Spirit of Elegance title went to the 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Aerofoil coupé of Mumbai-based collector Amir Jetha. The PRS Oberoi Spirit of Excellence award went to the 1926 Bugatti Type 23 Torpedo Tourer of businessman Sudhir Choudhrie. The Collector’s Award went to HH Maharaja Jyotendrasinhji Vikramsinhji of Gondal, Gujarat, in tribute to a lifetime of competitive achievements in Indian motorsport. The Judge’s Award went to the 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC of the Pranlal Bhogilal collection. The Judge’s Award Sir Jackie Stewart Most Exciting Car award, went to the 1963 Jaguar E-Type of the collector Dharmaditya (Julia) Patnaik. The Restoration Award went to the 1938 Mercedes-Benz 170V Roadster of Pallab Roy, a vintage-wheels enthusiast from Kolkata. The Chairman’s Award went to Nitin Dossa — the chairman of both the Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) and the Vintage & Classic Car Club of India (VCCCI) — in recognition of his lifetime dedication to the historic vehicles movement.
With each of the cars and motorcycles representing the absolute pinnacle of heritage luxury motoring, the jury had its task cut out. Picking one from the other wouldn’t be easy at all. After a full day of walking around the extensive grounds where the different competition classes were on exhibition, the time arrived for the grand parade and prize distributions. For each class first to be called would be the second runner up, then the first runner up and finally the Best in Class. In all, 37 competitors took the top honours, 11 for motorcycles and the remaining 26 for automobiles.
Among the motorcycles, the 1926 Norton 16H from the Rakesh Jain Collection took the top spot in the Veteran and Vintage Motorcycles class. Mr. Gurmukh Singh Salh’s beautifully kept 1944 BSA WM20 in its period correct olive war paint, was awarded Best in Class among Pre War Classic Motorcycles. The top honours among the Post War Classic Motorcycles went to the lovely 1953 Sunbeam S7 of Mr. Hafeez Contractor. Meanwhile, Mr. Xereus Zend’s 1973 Norton Commando was adjudged Best in Class among Emerging Classics. The final award for a motorcycle, in the Indian Heritage Motor Racing class went to Mr. Jehangir Sohrab Foroogh’s 1927 AJS H7, which was presented beautifully restored to the point where it even sported the competition number 27 with which it had once raced and won at motorcycle races. Among the motorcycles, the Best of Show award went to the 1944 BSA WM20 of Mr. Gurmukh Singh Salh.
Of the 26 automobiles that reached the podium, spanning 11 competition classes, the Best of Show was awarded to the immaculate 1939 Bentley 4.25-Litre Drophead Coupé of Mr. Dhanraj Gidwaney. The car had once belonged to the most stylish Indian queen of all, Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur. The incredibly sexy 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL of HH Maharaja Himanshu Kumarsinhji of Gondal took the top spot in the Indian Heritage Motor Racing class. Meanwhile, Mr. Shashank Bhagat’s 1935 Bentley 3.5 Litre Aerofoil Coupé was adjudged Best in Class among Cars of the Maharajahs – Jodhpur. Mr. Shrivardhan Kanoria’s 1923 Rolls-Royce 20HP Roadster pipped the rare 1910 Delauney-Belleville HH 6 15/20 HP and the 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost to take the top spot in the Indian Coachbuilt Then class. The Indian Coachbuilt Now class saw the fabulously flamboyant 1935 Cadillac V12 Roadster of Viveck and Zita Goenka take Best in Class. Among Post War British Sportscars, Mr. Ayush Mohan’s 1967 Jaguar E-Type was awarded Best in Class. The 1931 Cadillac 355-A of Mr. Rajesh Somasundaram won Best in Class among Pre War American Classics and Viveck and Zita Goenka’s 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza was Best in Class among Post War American Classics. Mr. Gidwaney’s ex-Maharani Gayatri Devi Bentley took Best in Class in the Pre War European Classics. Mr. Hemant Kumar Ruia’s 1924 Rolls-Royce 20HP Tourer was adjudged the best Roller in the Pre War Classics – Rolls-Royce class. Among the Post War European Classics, Mr. Rajiv Kehr’s 1950 Bentley Mark VI of Mr. Rajiv Kehr took the top spot. Rounding off the winners’ list was Pratapsinh Gaekwad with his phenomenally racy and brilliant sounding Ferrari 328 GTS winning Best in Class among the Youngtimer Classics.