(From top ) A BMW, Citroen, Jaguar and a Mercedes Benz on their way to Bhutan. The drivers of the cars stopped at a Madarihat restaurant in the Dooars for two hours before setting off for Hashimara. On their return, the rallyists said they will fly to Holland while the cars will be taken by ship from Calcutta. Pictures by Kundan Yolmo and Anirban Choudhury

Alipurduar, Nov. 20: For two hours today, Madarihat in the Dooars was home to 25 vintage beauties on wheels, as they rolled in one after the other from 11am onwards.

All of them — BMW, Ford, Rolls Royce, Jaguar — are participants in the International Classic Car Rally.

Fifty participants from Holland had accompanied them and all of them put up at Aronya restaurant, 55km from here, before starting for Bhutan around 1pm. The rally is expected to cover 16,750km.

The rallyists, who had started from Valkenburg in Holland have covered Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Nepal before heading for Bhutan via Hashimara and Jaigaon.

Bart Rietbergen, the team leader, said: “We organised this rally to show the world that old cars are still glamourous and can ply a long distance giving people full comfort. There are 25 old cars in the rally and we are going one way. From Thimpu in Bhutan, we will come back to Calcutta in cars. From there the ships will take the cars back while we fly home. The oldest car with us was manufactured in 1921. The most modern one was made in 1972.”

He said lunch at Aronyo was “very delicious”.

Agatha Blessinga said he liked to explore different countries of the world. “And I like driving, too, and that is why I participated in this rally. I have the zeal in me to know about the people of different countries, their cultures, dress and food habits. This is a special type of rally that is giving us an opportunity to visit different countries in a car.”

Blessinga said both the lunch and a dance performance were very good. “I danced with the local ladies.”

The cars on the campus of Aronya. (Anirban Choudhury)

Aronya had offered a wide range of items to its guests— Afgan chicken, sweet and sour chicken, palong paneer, Veg Manchurian, fish curry and three types of soups.

Biswajit Saha the owner of Aronyo, said: “They had contacted us through Internet. We knew they were coming. They enjoyed all the items and said they had visited so many countries but our lunch has much better quality.”

The restaurant had charged Rs 260 for each person.