Yashvardhan Ruia’s 1929 Mercedes-Benz 630K has taken First Prize in the “Automobiles of Royal India” class at the 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, one of the most coveted stages in the world of classic and vintage motoring. The win carries a special significance for us: the car behind this honour was brought back to life by a dear friend of ours, Parsi restorer Marespand Dadachanji, working out of his workshop in Mumbai.
According to Autocar India, which broke the news, the 630K was originally ordered by the Maharaja of Tikari in 1929, and its win at Pebble Beach makes it the first Indian-owned Mercedes-Benz to take a class win at an international concours — a genuine first for Indian motoring heritage, and now, quietly, a first for a Parsi craftsman’s restoration work on the world stage.
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, held every August on the 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, is widely considered the pinnacle event in the concours calendar, drawing the rarest and most meticulously restored cars from around the world. For a car with Indian royal provenance, restored in Mumbai, to win its class there is no small thing — it is recognition on the very highest stage that Indian craftsmanship in this specialised, painstaking field can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best restoration houses anywhere.
News of the win spread quickly within car-collecting circles on social media, with heartfelt tributes for Marespand and the team. Rayomand J. Patell wrote: “Heartiest congratulations to @yruia and @morris_1948 for First Place in the class of Automobiles Of The Raj at Pebble Beach! So happy you do us all so very proud!!!” Noted automotive journalist Adil Jal Darukhanawala captured the sentiment of many when he wrote: “Fabulous recognition for an awesome automobile sensitively restored by Marespand Dadachanji for its immensely passionate owner Yash Ruia on the best platform they could! Made my day.”
The Mercedes-Benz 630K itself is a rare and formidable machine — a supercharged luxury tourer built by Mercedes-Benz in the late 1920s, prized in its era by royalty and the very wealthy for its combination of power and coachbuilt elegance. Cars like this one, commissioned directly by Indian princely states, are among the most historically significant survivors of that golden age of motoring, and returning one to concours-winning condition demands not just mechanical skill but a deep sensitivity to history, craftsmanship, and originality.
That sensitivity is exactly what admirers credit to Marespand Dadachanji’s restoration work on this car, and it is a proud moment for the community to see a Parsi name associated with a result of this calibre on such a prestigious international stage. Parsi Khabar extends its heartiest congratulations to Marespand Dadachanji, to owner Yashvardhan Ruia, and to everyone who had a hand in bringing this remarkable piece of automotive and royal Indian history back to its full glory.
