How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

[vintageman]

A concours winner with a body built in India - to the owners requirement -

The 1911 Mysore Silver Ghost

[JayD]

@ vintageman, do u know where this car is now??

[Julian UK]

Just love the aerodynamics of the Mysore Ghost
What I found with driving Ghosts is that they would really benefit from power steering. As with all pre-war Rolls Royces and Bentleys, keep those kingpins well oiled, it makes a big difference to the steering. Lovely photo Vintageman.




Now while uploading these images is probably going to get me in trouble and due to this I had better stop, but to go out in a blaze of glory I give you the following two images of my favourite marque.

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Coo! What a monster, complete with a Lalique hood ornament no less. Bhogilal had a couple of blower Bentleys.

The 6 1/2 litre in the preceding Bentley post wasn't supercharged but this 4 1/2 litre was.

Now for a contest, a prize (to be collected from the UK) for the best caption of what the lady inspecting the blower is saying
Post your entries NOW!




This one is good too smoking cigarettes while refueling.




I saw one REAL Bentley in India, I think it was a 3 litre, can't remember where. and someone had put this huge 18 inch dia. pulley on the end of the overhead camshaft to belt drive the dynamo. I nearly had a seizure, still recovering from the experience now

Picture Source : Bentley Factory cars 1919 -1931 by Michael Hay


Moderator's note: Images deleted per user's request

[DKG]

Fabulous pictures Julian. This is a real treat. What a beast the Bhopal Bentley. Has the car survived?

I could come up with a lot of things that lady must be thinking while keenly observing the blower, but I don't wish my account here to be closed! I like the look of the Bentley she's looking at though, mmm...someday!!!

The Mysore Ghost is with Mr. Bhogilal if I recall correctly. By the way do you think the designer had a drag strip speed run in mind when he designed the car? You don't need a parachute for sure!

Talking about steerings, you should drive the 39 Packard 120 (like what I have), its the finest steering I've ever encountered without power assist. While driving you can turn the wheel with a finger and as you make a u turn it beautifully spins back to the centre

No wonder Rolls copied the Packard suspension for their Silver Wraith

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by Julian UK

This one is good too smoking cigarettes while refueling.

Im more scandalized by the way they are refuelling, into an open crate. I cant make head or tail of it!

As for the prize winning comment, "Blow is just a figure of speech..." I shan't complete it though.

Originally Posted by DKG

The Mysore Ghost is with Mr. Bhogilal if I recall correctly.

Here is a picture of Bhogilals car, the car pictured earlier doesnt look like its in India to me, and I do remember reading about such a car in a large collection abroad.

[vintageman]

Hi Jay D ,

As per my archives the Mysore Ghost is a Victoria Touring on 1911 Silver Ghost 1683 and last owner as per my records was James C Leake in USA .

Here is another grand one :

The "Pearl of the East"


Portable Top Limousine on 1907 Silver Ghost body by Cockshoot

The car was used for exhibiting the Rolls Royce appearance and reliability to the Indian gentry in 1908 it covered 600 miles course which included six mountain passes , without an involuntary stop , no tools were carried and the bonnet was locked, an official observer holding the keys.

After completion of the trials the "Pearl of the East " was purchased by the Maharaja of Gwalior .

It is not known if the car still remains in Gwalior .

[karlosdeville]

Another interesting story, though the car hardly spent any time in India.

VCCA (N.S.W.) K Model Ford Page

And another one. Methinks this was the very same car used in 'Octopussy'

HRH News, October 2006* Vol:61

And this one was in Kashmir at one point.

Rolls-Royce Phantom I 17EX Jarvis Torpedo - Ultimatecarpage.com - Images, Specifications and Information

[Julian UK]

Lovely photos
If anyone requires a free screensaver of racing Bentleys go here:
Stanley Mann Racing










All articles that coruscate with resplendence are not truly auriferous

[vintageman]

As per my archives the Mysore Ghost is a Victoria Touring on 1911 Silver Ghost 1683 and last owner as per my records was James C Leake in USA .

Here is another grand one :

The "Pearl of the East"


Portable Top Limousine on 1907 Silver Ghost body by Cockshoot


Hello All ,

The above information is quoted from the "Those Elegant Rolls - Royce" by Lawrence Dalton.

[Julian UK]

And now for some more REAL Bentleys, they are alot more fun than Rolls-Royces Overhead cams and 4 valves per cylinder and Le Mans winners, the butchest car ever built I have a load of W.O. Bentley stuff but its not really relevent to India, but these are:
Firstly 3 different shots of a 6 1/2 litre:





Two more 6 1/2 litres:



Only the body came to India, the caption explains:




And finally a 3 litre, maybe it was intended to be used as a garbage truck?

All images from:
Bentley The Vintage Years 1919 - 1931 by Michael Hay







Exclusive dedication to necessitous chores without interludes of hedonistic diversion renders Jack a hebetudinous fellow





Moderator's note: Images deleted per user's request

[Julian UK]

Could our venerable mods please edit out one of the smileys as I seem to have used one too many. Must give them up.

[Julian UK]

I really am loosing track of all the threads so for now I'm putting these photos here as it is a catch all thread, later with our esteemed mods assistance perhaps they can be shuffled around.

Here are some more,

1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost that went to Udaipur.


Hey, Coys of Kensington ? I used to work for them


Very early 1922 Rolls-Royce 20hp Barker “Barrel” that went to Udaipur. This must be car No. G 121 at present owned by the foremost 20hp
expert J. Fasal



1925 Rolls-Royce 20hp Saloon body by Wylder & Co that went to Bharatpur. With Lucas sidelights facing rearwards on the back mudguards, probably the “blue light thing” or maybe for tiger hunting in reverse? Again odd tyre size? Damn kondoos western restorations



1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I (prototype?) with Jarvis body which
went to the Maharajah Bahadur of Jammu and Kashmir.



1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Thrupp and Maberly Tourer went to the Maharajah of Darbhanga



1937 Bentley 4.25-Litre Thrupp & Maberly went to the Maharajah of Cooch Bihar.




1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III went to the Maharajah of Baroda




1926 Vauxhall 30-98 Type E went to the Maharajah of Jammu and Kashmir



12. Another shot of the 1926 Daimler with Barker body went to Gulab Singh the ruler of Rewa




Some were in the Blackhawk collection at some point but aren't in their present itinery.



All photos from Traumautoarchiv

[DKG]

Originally Posted by Julian UK

I really am loosing track of all the threads so for now I'm putting these photos here as it is a catch all thread, later with our esteemed mods assistance perhaps they can be shuffled around.

Thanks for sharing. The reference website is something I never knew about. Thanks. Pity it isn't in English

Julian suggest you decide how you wish your pictures to be documented and simply go ahead. Maybe just do them as Julian's Archive. Don't bother too much about what anyone would say. Its very important all knowledge and experiences about cars that came to India gets documented and shared freely for one and all. Here in India its not uncommon for history to get re-written so before someone starts claiming incorrect provenance of significant cars its best we have things documented

[xoticars]

Just to add to the fact that car is in the US, I happened to meet the current owner in California, a few years ago. He had come for the Concours D'Elegance at Pebbele Beach. I had a chat with him, and he told me that he had smuggled the car out of India, way back in the 60's, declared as farm tractors. This was from the horse's mouth. Saw the car there and its in great shape now. These cars should never have left India.....

[karlosdeville]

Heres another ornately decorated Rolls I found online. The owner is identified as Raja Raghunandan, Im not sure of the State.