Road trips have become quite popular among Indians and thanks to modern-day technology, they’ve also become easier to plan. But it is not everyday that you would hear of a family taking on the road to chart a 12,000-kilometre course, traversing 16 countries, and that too in a 73-year-old vintage car. Three generations of an Ahmedabad-based family have embarked on a one-of-its-kind road trip to London in a 1950 MG vintage car.
If you’re an avid traveler and an automobile enthusiast, their journey will certainly strike a chord with you. The Thakore family claims to be the first Indian family to undertake such an expedition in what they affectionately call, the Lal Pari (Red Angel). The road trip, which is expected to last for about 60 days, will take them through the UAE, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and several other countries, while finally culminating in the UK.
Lal Pari calls on London
Daman Thakore, along with his father and 21-year-old daughter started the trip from Gandhinagar on August 10, where they were flagged off by Shri Mulubhai Bera, Gujarat’s Tourism Minister. They reached Mumbai on August 13 and two days later, they were flagged off by Maharashtra Tourism Minister, Girish Mahajan. The family has now shipped their car to Dubai and will commence their international land journey from August 26.
The Thakore family plans to cover approximately 200 to 250 kms per day with an average speed of about 35 km/hour in the vintage car. This is estimated to be a six to eight hour travel time each day. A specially created caravan, called Lal Pari ki Saheli, will be accompanying them on their day-to-day expeditions. Part of the caravan will have a photographer and filmmaker who will help capture golden moments of the trip to create a documentary out of it. A vintage car expert and an expedition planner are also a part of the caravan team to help the family smoothly reach their destination.