Miscellaneous cars in Delhi

[awini]

This is the Delhi V12 Rapide

[DKG]

Awini

The Lagonda V12 sounds awesome. I saw a film of one just like yours on Pebble Beach, as it ambled onto the greens early morning, what a car, what a sound.

Correct me if I am wrong but is your car not the Jodhpur car? later acquired from the Nath family? If so I believe the Rajmata recently told the previous owner this car used to be a favourite with the previous Maharajah. Hope you have pitures of the car when it was with the royal family. Also am I correct in assuming this is a factory bodied Lagonda and not one of the private coachbuilder creations?

Do you use the car regularly? Do please write about your experiences with the car.

You have a stunning machine and I hope you will not spare any expense in returning it to its former glory.

[awini]

yes, this is that very car. i don't have any pics of the car when it was with the Jodhpur family or earlier when it was with Alan Good in England.
and yes, this is a mere factory body, nothing exotic.
i haven't even started it in nearly three years, let alone drive it. just don't have the time at the moment.
but yes, when i was driving it around, it drives more like a car from the forties or fifties rather than from the thirties. and its pretty quick even by today's standard i crossed 60 MPH once on the road outside the oberoi hotel, but chickened out because the brakes wernt working, but the car was still accelerating. it still should do a 0-60 mph in about 12-13 seconds when properly tuned. it produces 180bhp in the current state of tune and revs to 5500 rpm. and it has an exhaust cutout... :-)

[Julian UK]

Awini, you have a treasure, enjoy, the ring roads are pretty empty at night
Any help I can give from here regarding sourcing or info you are most welcome to, though you seem to be well connected.
I have never purchased a car in my life (always something came with the job Ambassador ((6 years )) or Gypsy), and have only ever owned one, that was a present to us from my Father before he died, its a vintage Audi of 1989. No collection, no prized piece, nor do I want one. Familiarity brings contempt or boredom. But something like your Lagonda would be surely tempting indeed. Mainly as the engine is such a challenge. Enjoy the challenge. Best wishes.

Meanwhile somewhere in Delhi was a Cadillac V8, a regular annual Delhi rally participant (there was also one in Jaipur but it had had its roof chopped off. The question: Is the Delhi car this? (Not Vanden Plas's best creation).




Here's the Jaipur car, it was definitely a chopped roof conversion. A popular wedding hire car.

(See Queenie film thread)
Yes that is Kirk Douglas in the howdah behind it and that is Mr Seth's old driver Vishant Singh to the right

Does anyone remember the Delhi Cadillac which belonged to the owner of the Hello shampoo company in Faridabad in the 80s? I think this is the same car possibly.

B/W photos from Vanden Plas Coachbuilders by Brian Smith

[awini]

thanks, julian, i too have never bought a car. the studebaker and karmann are old family cars, the mg is a gift from an uncle, who was glad to see it go,and the lagonda is a wedding gift from my parents. i did buy a rajdoot bobby recently though... cost a princely rs 6000!!

actually, this is the vanden plas cadillac, ex jodhpur, now owned by the rajasthan government, and to the right is the faridabad cadillac, its ex jind. it hasnt been out for some years now, since the owner lost his wife, and since the son mostly stays in switzerland there's no one to drive it. not for sale though.. i asked.
p.s. i replied to your pm, but im not sure it went through, did you get it?

[DKG]

Originally Posted by awini

this is a mere factory body, nothing exotic.

No way!!! I think its way too exotic. Its a stunning Lagonda and a beautiful shape. I love the way it looks. I think the designers at Lagonda quite out did themselves.

You are truly fortunate to be the custodian of something so special and your car deserves a world class restoration. Best wishes to you

Will see if I can persuade people I know who are related to the Jodhpur family to get some pictures of the car if they exist while it was in the royal household

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by Julian UK

I have never purchased a car in my life (always something came with the job Ambassador ((6 years )) or Gypsy), and have only ever owned one, that was a present to us from my Father before he died, its a vintage Audi of 1989.

Originally Posted by awini

thanks, julian, i too have never bought a car. the studebaker, austin and karmann are old family cars, the mg is a gift from an uncle, who was glad to see it go,and the lagonda is a wedding gift from my parents.

Modern day Maharajas I see.

[Julian UK]

Originally Posted by awini

and to the right is the faridabad cadillac, its ex jind.

So this is the Jind car from Delhi. I worked on it a few times and it was definitely an original body, but the Jaipur car had very obvious signs of a local conversion.

[Prabal]

Originally Posted by awini

thanks, julian, i too have never bought a car. the studebaker and karmann are old family cars, the mg is a gift from an uncle, who was glad to see it go,and the lagonda is a wedding gift from my parents. i did buy a rajdoot bobby recently though... cost a princely rs 6000!!

actually, this is the vanden plas cadillac, ex jodhpur, now owned by the rajasthan government, and to the right is the faridabad cadillac, its ex jind. it hasnt been out for some years now, since the owner lost his wife, and since the son mostly stays in switzerland there's no one to drive it. not for sale though.. i asked.
p.s. i replied to your pm, but im not sure it went through, did you get it?

Awini, I thought you gifted the Lagonda to your dad on his birthday!

[Julian UK]

I know this is picture of a motorcycle but before it disappears into the depths of the non vintage motorcycle thread I just had to share it in this vintage vehicle section of the forum. Its such a lovely setting. I'll ask for it to be removed if their are objections to its presence in the car section.
A friend of mine's Indian chief in New Delhi about 1980.

Are they real Sadhus?

[awini]

Originally Posted by Prabal

Awini, I thought you gifted the Lagonda to your dad on his birthday!

no, i didn't, cant afford it , besides it would be a very stupid, not to mention selfish, gift. considering he would never drive it. i did however get him a limited edition (1 of 100) gold omega watch with an enameled dial, which he appreciates much more.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by Julian UK

Are they real Sadhus?

Maybe, some of them look like Sadhu's. But most of them seem to be Tribals rather than Sadhu's.

[Julian UK]

Some of them look quite well attired, the owner of the bike Andrew drove the Ariel motorcycle in Gandhi's entourage in the Gandhi film and you can hear the big end knocking in the film.

[Julian UK]

Originally Posted by boeuff

Has anyone heard of a car called Turner?
I ask this because my grandfather always used to mention that after the Maharajah of Mysore, the only other car in Mysore was owned by his father/grandfather and it was called Turner.

My grandfather was born in 1908 and he died at the age of 97.

Cheers,

Here is a Turner steam car
Turner steam car for private mail service of Maharajah of Gwalior

[boeuff]

Originally Posted by Julian UK

Some of them look quite well attired, the owner of the bike Andrew drove the Ariel motorcycle in Gandhi's entourage in the Gandhi film and you can hear the big end knocking in the film.

You may want to see some of the pictures from the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham that I took during a visit last year in the link below.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...eels-gone.html (Of Days & Wheels Gone by...!)