FAISALABAD: A racing version of SL-500 Mercedes that remained in the use of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his first stint in office attracted visitors to the annual Classic Car Show organised by the Vintage and Classic Car Club here on Saturday.

Now the vehicle is in the use of Syed Ghazanfar Asghar of Karachi who participated in the event along with his father and a son.

Giving a brief history of the vehicle, he claimed that the king of Qatar had gifted it to Nawaz Sharif in 1992 on the eve of inauguration of the motorway in Pakistan. He said that after remaining with Nawaz Sharif the vehicle then went to Saleem Khan, son of Hunza king Ghazanfar Ali Khan.

“We can improve the image of Pakistan globally through such events to give a message that one can travel on roads of the country freely. It is the need of the hour that people should be given opportunities for entertainment,” he said.

Khalid Aslam, owner of another vintage car, said efforts should be made to preserve the heritage of the country.

“Maintaining a classic vehicle is time consuming but I am fond of it,” he said.

Shehryar Ali, 14, was happy to have a short ride in an old red car. He said it was amazing for him to have a look at the classic car. “We used to enjoy sight of such cars in movies, pictures and on the Internet. I am elated to be part of the festival of cars.”

Mohsin Ikram, one of the organisers, told reporters that the theme of the event was “Saving heritage on wheels” and such shows would be arranged in Islamabad, Sukkur, Peshawar, Bahawalpur and other places.

“We urge the people having classic and old vehicles to come forward and join such shows to entertain people. Unique and old-fashioned cars were once symbol of the elitism and there is no use keeping them in garages or backyards,” he said.

Two children kept trying to have a seat in a red BMW but they were barred. They said it was otherwise a pleasant experience to be part of the event.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2014