On the 79th anniversary of India's Independence Day, amid the pomp and splendour at the Red Fort in New Delhi, one vehicle subtly stole the show.
It was a Jeep Wagoneer in which General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Delhi Lieutenant General Bhavnish Kumar arrived at the site of the celebrations.
This vintage beauty, steeped in a 60-year-old legacy of diplomacy and mutual respect, has an interesting story to tell.
The vintage Wagoneer was a royal gift from the King of Bhutan to the president of India at the time (1962-67), Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. This 4x4 station wagon, which has been housed at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi since 2000, represents the depth of the bond between India and Bhutan.
Beginning production just a year after the US Recession of 1960-61, the Jeep Wagoneer continued production for almost 30 years with virtually no major redesigns, making it the third longest-produced single-generation SUV in American automotive history.
In fact, the Wagoneer can even be called one of the forefathers of the modern Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), because it was one of the first vehicles to bridge the gap between cars and trucks.
Many years later, although the modern SUV may have left the Wagoneer behind, India chose not to, by upgrading its royal gift with a 2500cc Ford Endeavour engine.
As a result, it continues to occupy pride of place every year on Independence Day, as it faithfully transports the GOC to the site of the celebrations—making it an old classic in a rapidly changing world.