Which classic car gets you into an Indian concours d'elegance

The classic to buy if you actually want to place at an Indian concours is not a pre-war European car. It is a well kept, original Indian built car from the 1947 to 1972 window, the band that the Oberoi Concours d'Elegance calls its Indian Heritage, Preservation class. That class asks for less money, less competition from inherited royal collections, and a different kind of restraint from the owner.

What the classes actually ask for

The Oberoi Concours, held at The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, runs ten automobile classes and four motorcycle classes, each with its own year band and rules, set out on the event's own class page. Pre-War Classics, Rolls Royce covers Rolls-Royce cars from 1904 to 1945. Pre-War Classics, European and American covers open cars built in Europe or the United States from 1918 to 1945. Post War Classics, European and American runs 1946 to 1970. Indian Heritage, Preservation covers cars built or assembled in India from 1947 to 1972, judged in original, preserved condition rather than a fresh restoration. Indian Heritage, Motor Racing runs 1947 to 1989. Youngtimer Classics covers limited production sports coupes and convertibles from 1975 to 1990.

The 21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally runs a similar split, as Autocar India's report on the rally shows: Edwardian, Pre-War American, Post-War American Sports, Pre-War European and Post-War American Coupe classes, one-make classes for Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Volkswagen and MG, and its own Indian Heritage and Preservation class alongside them.

Why the pre-war classes are a bad bet to buy into

At the 2026 Oberoi Concours, Best of Show went to Dhanraj Gidwaney's 1939 Bentley 4¼ litre Drophead Coupe, a car once owned by Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, according to Robb Report India's coverage of the event. The Spirit of Elegance award went to Amir Jetha's 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Aerofoil coupe, and the Spirit of Excellence award went to Sudhir Choudhrie's 1926 Bugatti Type 23 Torpedo Tourer, both per the Oberoi Concours' own awards page. Cars like these sit in long standing Indian collections and almost never come up for a first time buyer to purchase. Buying your way into these classes from scratch usually means sourcing a car from abroad, which brings its own cost and paperwork, on top of a car that already carries a price in crores.

The realistic lane: Indian Heritage, Preservation

The Preservation class rewards a car that still has its original paint, trim, upholstery and parts, not one that has been stripped and repainted. That is the opposite of the advice for the Post War European and American classes, where a professional restoration earns marks. Two cars that fall squarely inside the 1947 to 1972 window and are common in Indian garages are the Hindustan Ambassador, built in India from 1957, and the Premier Padmini, sold in its early years as the Fiat 1100 and built in India from 1964, both per Wikipedia's production histories of the two cars.

Do not assume a later car is automatically cheaper to enter either. The Youngtimer class, covering 1975 to 1990, sounds like a budget lane going purely by year, but its 2026 Best in Class went to Pratapsinh Gaekwad's 1985 Ferrari 328 GTS Spider, with a 1992 Ferrari 348 TS Targa as runner up, per the Oberoi Concours' own results. Year alone does not make a class affordable. Origin does.

What this means for a buyer

Before you buy a classic to enter at an Indian concours, pick the class first and read its exact wording for that edition, since class names and year bands can shift between editions. If the aim is a realistic shot at a rosette rather than a crorepati's cheque book, an original, unmolested Ambassador or Padmini in the Preservation class is a far steadier buy than chasing a pre-war import.

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