Mar Ivanios College alumni celebrate 75 th anniversary with vintage vehicle rally

The Kowdiar Palace premises on Saturday were filled with vintage cars dating back to 1947. A slight drizzle added a peculiar sheen to the vehicles in metallic shades. The classic cars and super bikes had assembled at the location for a Convoy Drive coordinated by Club MB India for AMICOS, the Alumni Association of Mar Ivanios College, in the capital, as part of the college’s platinum jubilee celebrations.

The convoy comprised 25 cars and super bikes, each covering a distance of 12 km before reaching Mar Ivanios College campus. The rally passed through Vellayambalam, Museum, PMG, Pattom, Kesavadasapuram, Paruthipara and Nalanchira.

The long line-up of vehicles included vintage models of the Volkswagen Beetle, Hindustan cars, Willys jeeps, several restored Ambassador cars and Contessa cars. The oldest car at the rally was a 1948 model Austin A40 Devon owned by a lawyer, Devanand Mahadev. Royal Enfield, Harley-Davidson, Jawa, and Triumph motorcycles were featured at the rally, too.

“A lot of the college alumni are car enthusiasts. So, when we gathered for such a celebration, we thought, why not have an auto rally? Members of AMICOS own most of the classic cars in the convoy,” said Mr. Koipuram.

Avittam Thirunal Adithya Varma, a member of the erstwhile Travancore royal family, flagged off the rally at 8.15 a.m. He also participated in the rally, driving his cherry-red,1967-model Volkswagen Beetle.

Several participants brought multiple cars. Joe Cherian, an entrepreneur, appeared with four cars—a 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle, a 2010-model Beetle, a Maruti Suzuki SS80, and a 1964 model Ambassador, which was his father’s first car. “I have a 1989-model BMW E34, which I wanted to bring today. It is a model that featured in a few James Bond films. I could not bring it here, as we are waiting for a few imported parts.”

Jose Pottamkulam, an alumnus of the college and racing enthusiast, participated in the rally with his friend, M.R. Ramesh, who owns and drives a 1966 model Morris Mini Moke. Mr.Ramesh’s father purchased the UK-branded car from Australia six decades ago.

The convoy was complete with bike riders from city-based clubs riding on different bikes. Director of Harley Owners Group (HOG), Travancore chapter, and filmmaker Rajeev Rajendran said, “The Travancore chapter of HOG was established this year, so when we heard of this rally, we wanted to extend our support to them and all motor vehicle communities. We have a few people in our group who were alumni of Mar Ivanios College.”