Among the brass and chrome heritage of Kolkata’s vintage motoring culture, one car stands out—not just for its age, but for its journey, its rarity, and the generations of love that have kept it alive. A 1906 Renault Frères, ruby-red and resplendent, remains not only the city’s oldest running car, but also one of India’s most cherished automotive survivors.
Originally built in France by the pioneering Renault brothers, the car's legacy today is preserved not in a museum, but in the heart of a Kolkata family whose dedication has elevated it from scrap-bound obscurity to Concours-winning stardom. It is a car that has weathered engine theft, mechanical breakdowns, and decades of dormancy — only to emerge more glorious than before each time.
The last car of My Kolkata’s vintage car series also happens to be the only French car featured. Here is the story of Kolkata's oldest running car — a 1906 Renault Frères — still alive, still adored, and still turning heads.
A romance that spans generations
Long before resto-modding became fashionable and concours d’elegance made headlines, a forgotten French motorcar lay in shambles in a backyard in Calcutta. The 1906 Renault Frères, one of the oldest surviving and running cars in India today, had been stripped of its original glory, its engine stolen, and its body outfitted with clumsy modern modifications. But its journey from that sad fate to concours stardom is a testament to one family’s unshakable love for heritage — and horsepower.
It was in the early 1960s that Late Mr. H.C. Agarwal, the maternal grandfather of current custodian Shrivardhan Kanoria, acquired the Renault from a zamindar family. Though the car came with original but tattered mudguards, broken windshield, and a few scattered carbide lamps, the most important piece — the engine — was missing.
A gentleman’s bet, a greedy caretaker, and a lucky break
Shashi Kanoria pores over the engine
The story might’ve ended there, had a young Shashi Kanoria, newly engaged to H.C. Agarwal’s daughter, decided not to intervene. Heartbroken by the car’s condition and moved by its potential, he made a bet with his future father-in-law: if he could find the original engine within a year, the car would be his.
In an inspired act of sleuthing, Shashi traced the missing engine to a caretaker of the former owner’s estate. The man, persuaded with a generous reward, returned the long-lost motor. Though Shashi claimed the bet had been in jest, H.C. Agarwal honoured his word and gifted him the car.
Thus began the first chapter of the Renault Frères’s second life.
‘The Lady in Red’ takes centre stage
Painted in a deep, arresting red, the car became an instant crowd-puller at Calcutta’s vintage car rallies
By the early 1970s, Shashi Kanoria had restored the car to its former glory. Painted in a deep, arresting red, the car became an instant crowd-puller at Calcutta’s vintage car rallies. Nicknamed ‘The Lady in Red’, the Renault Frères was often seen gliding past Eden Gardens and Esplanade, with Rekha Kanoria seated beside her husband and their daughters Shruti and Amrisha perched happily on the rear rumble seat.
The car won hearts, headlines, and a growing number of trophies — becoming synonymous with the city’s vintage car movement through the ’70s and ’80s. However, disaster struck in 1986, when a major engine failure put the Lady in Red out of commission for nearly two decades.
Resurrected with a son’s love
From 2005 to 2018, the car once again dominated Calcutta’s vintage rallies
It wasn’t until 2004 that Shrivardhan, now an adult and inheritor of both passion and pedigree, persuaded his father to revive the Renault. Together, they painstakingly rebuilt the mechanics and restored the faded red finish. “My father was on the job every day,” recalls Shrivardhan, “his hands as blackened with grease as any seasoned mechanic’s.”
The Lady in Red was back — and how. From 2005 to 2018, the car once again dominated Calcutta’s vintage rallies, with Shrivardhan behind the wheel and his nephews Abhuday and Advit as co-navigators. It became a familiar sight at events like the Statesman Rally and EIMG Concours, racking up more than 100 trophies in total.
Its reputation? Legendary. Its status? Untouchable.
A crown jewel at Cartier
At the Cartier 'Travel with Style' Concours d’Elegance, the car emerged as the oldest vehicle present
In 2019, the Renault Frères received perhaps its greatest honour yet. At the Cartier 'Travel with Style' Concours d’Elegance, the car not only emerged as the oldest vehicle present, proudly wearing Participant Number 1, but also won a coveted ‘Special Award’ — an accolade reserved for the most distinguished car on display.
What made the moment unforgettable wasn’t just the recognition, but the presenter: Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur, who personally handed over the award to Shrivardhan. “A high point,” he notes, “like no other.”
Since then, the Renault has taken on a more ceremonial role. It’s still driven around the block weekly to keep its pistons pumping, and it is still seen at least twice a year at the EIMG Concurs and the Statesman Rally — though no longer in competition. “We’ve stopped entering the rally to give others a chance,” Shrivardhan jokes, a testament to the car’s enduring dominance.
More than a machine
Today, the Renault Frères is more than just Kolkata’s oldest running car. It’s a family member, a memory capsule, and a masterclass in mechanical legacy. Owned proudly by Rekha Kanoria and cared for meticulously by her son, the car remains a red symbol of resilience, romance, and restoration.
It is, in many ways, a metaphor on wheels — of history that refuses to rust, of love that fuels legacy, and of a city where time may move forward, but grace always lingers behind.
The Lady in Red, as Shrivardhan says with a smile, “shall live on.”
