[wasif]

Is this book available for sale now ?

[harit]

Originally Posted by wasif

Is this book available for sale now ?

Well, just today I was sent this about the book, Rolls-Royce 17EX A Fabulous Destiny:

"""""" My new book is about a most unusual experimental car that emanated from the drawing boards of Rolls-Royce Limited, a conservative carmaker if ever there was one. No, the Rolls-Royce Phantom I 17EX wasn’t the flamboyant flight of fancy of an eccentric client, but a project commissioned by Mr Conservative himself, Sir Henry Royce. Why did Royce want such a special car made? What became of it since? What intriguing journeys it undertook? And how it found its present abode?
My new book is about all that, and about the tales and anecdotes from the life and times of Rolls-Royce’s most special, its association with Indian royalty, celebrities and enthusiasts.
I have been fortunate enough to have been afforded unique access to the families that have owned 17EX at various points of time and other than being in touch with the grandson of the Maharaja of Kashmir, 17EX’s first owner, I know very well the son of the second owner, P K Mitter of Calcutta, and the family of Protap Roy who ‘rediscovered’ the car in the 1960s. Victor Muller and Alexander Schaufler, the two most recent owners of 17EX are also known to me and all of them have come forth in providing valuable archival material and information. The result, I believe, is a visually striking story that not only tells the tale of a very special car, but also provides an insight into the privileged lives of the top tier of Indian society from the not-too-distant past.
The book answers questions like: Why was Sir Frederick Henry Royce so desperate to get his cars to go at 100mph? Why did Bentley’s Le Mans victories irk Royce so much? What common thread links Malcolm Campbell, the Blue Bird, the Maharaja of Kashmir and some million dollar cars in Calcutta? All of this and some more come together in this book that recounts the wondrous journey of the one and only 17EX woven with tales of very special people, of spectacular countries across continents and of over eight decades of automotive history.
Rolls-Royce 17EX A Fabulous Destiny is about the raison d’être of this car, the ‘making of’ it and the fabulous destiny that awaited it.
The book is out on the stands in India – no, not in all of them, but in select bookshops. It will also be on sale in Europe and the US (its already on sale in Paris…). If you cannot find it and would like to buy a copy may I request you to please get in touch with my colleague Makarand Baokar (whose photos figure in the book too) at makarand.baokar@gmail.com
With best regards,
Gautam
PS: Also, check out http://speedreaders.info/10778-rolls-royce-17ex-fabulous-destinyein-stuck-geschichte""""""

Cheers harit

[wasif]

Thanks for the info....so you all in India are the lucky ones who will lay their hands on it the soonest.

Its not on sale yet on Amazon but i got a mail saying a copy has been reserved for me.

Just waiting to sort out the logistics of delivery from India.

[deutscheafrikar]

Originally Posted by harit

Well, just today I was sent this about the book, Rolls-Royce 17EX A Fabulous Destiny:

Cheers harit

Originally Posted by wasif

Thanks for the info....so you all in India are the lucky ones who will lay their hands on it the soonest.

Just waiting to sort out the logistics of delivery from India.

Where is it available in India?

[wasif]

Originally Posted by deutscheafrikar

Where is it available in India?

Order it from this link below or mail makarand.baokar@gmail.com for more details.

http://www.bookadda.com/books/rolls-...-9789350872727

Intersting that the price is Rs 1,527 here but on Charters its GBP 40

http://www.chaters.co.uk/prod/17995/...bulous-destiny


So buying from India is far more reasonable

[avishar]

Greetings gentleman.

I have been a lurker in the Vintage section for years,learning about vintages and classics and their association with India.Visiting vintage and classic rallies to appreciate these beauties better.My youth does not allow me to contribute much,nothing next to the knowledge of you guys here! I am just learning and learning.

However i had to post when i saw that pic of the cars in Mitter's house.Unbelievable.

Going through Duesenberg thread again,can we say those two cars in the pic are J196 and J202?

Can one of them be a Model A? Those side louvres though both look like Model Js.Where they supercharged?

Even the Mercedes SS is very very interesting.They cant be K,because thats the shorter wheelbase ones and these look like longer chassis.But even then SS are still rare,i think around 100 were made? What happened to both these cars?

What a garage.At any auction today they together will go for millions.

Please keep the info coming,thanks a lot everyone!

[avishar]

Sorry looks like it has already been confirmed that they are J196 and J202 in the Duesenberg thread and the general consensus is that both the cars have not survived in their original avatars(?).J202 engine exported to the states to be used in another body.

[wasif]

The two Duesenbergs are confirmed to be J196 and J202. Both sady have not survived except for one engine and some assorted parst floating around. They are both Model J un supercharged cars.

The two Mercedes are SS models and by the looks of it have not survived in India, may have been exported or scrapped cant confirm.

That garage if it was intact today would probably be priceless. The thing to admire is the exquisite taste of the owners and their ability to indulge in them.

[avishar]

Yes and that was indulgence at the highest level,the fastest,most expensive sports cars and tourers in the world.I wonder if the family fell into bad times or that post independence hanging on to such indulgences was not a good idea and got rid of them hastily.

Pretty sad to hear none of the cars survived.

Edit:Was reading through a Zigwheels articles and they mention the Duesenbergs.They were owned by P.K Mitter.The Duesys were owned by 2 brothers(which would also explain the 2 SSs).They also had an Isotta-Fraschini which was sold to finance the 17 Ex.I think maybe this IF made way to MBZ180s family.Other cars mentioned are an 1938 Mercedes 250 and a Packard.The Packard was bought by selling the Rolls.

[harit]

Originally Posted by avishar

..............I wonder if the family fell into bad times or that post independence hanging on to such indulgences was not a good idea and got rid of them hastily...............................They were owned by P.K Mitter.The Duesys were owned by 2 brothers(which would also explain the 2 SSs).They also had an Isotta-Fraschini which was sold to finance the 17 Ex.I think maybe this IF made way to MBZ180s family.Other cars mentioned are an 1938 Mercedes 250 and a Packard.The Packard was bought by selling the Rolls.

I doubt that the family fell onto hard times. These cars were used extensively, there are pictures of them away in Bihar. The cars may have become old. And no service and/or repair fascility. And then along came the wheeler dealers who gave reasonably good money (for that time) to them and exported many of the cars. Now why were the Duessy's scrapped I don't know. And whether one car was sold to buy another car, that also I don't know. Some history is lost here, but Mitters were connoisseurs, good cars and good taste but maybe not collectors. Similar to our Maharajas, some became collectors only later on.
Maybe Prithvi can dig a bit.

Cheers harit

[mbz180]

Originally Posted by avishar

I wonder if the family fell into bad times or that post independence hanging on to such indulgences was not a good idea and got rid of them hastily.

Pretty sad to hear none of the cars survived.

Originally Posted by harit

I doubt that the family fell onto hard times. The cars may have become old. And no service and/or repair fascility. And then along came the wheeler dealers who gave reasonably good money (for that time) to them and exported many of the cars. Some history is lost here, but Mitters were connoisseurs, good cars and good taste but maybe not collectors. Similar to our Maharajas, some became collectors only later on.
Maybe Prithvi can dig a bit.

Cheers harit

Avishar, the Mitter's were a very prominent family in Calcutta straddling various fields from law to civil service etc. From the cars they owned at the same time, their taste in cars was obviously extremely good. However, I don't think their wealth stemmed from being land owners. They were professionals at the top of their respective fields. So, as Haritji says, I too don't think they fell on bad times. My family has known Mr. Jayanta Mitter for a fairly long time, and their old property, (where the car's were garaged) in one of the most valuable and posh confines of Calcutta, is kept very well by the family and they live there.

In addition to the reasons that Haritji has mentioned on why they may have sold the cars, I too believe that the family had good taste but maybe they weren't into collecting. It could have been a simple case of owning the very best and fashionable at the time and then moving on with changing fashion over a period of time, perhaps to some American marques from the 40's.

It maybe possible that the IF landed up in our family. Haritji, can you give an approximate idea as to when they sold the IF? I ask since the IF came into our family in the 1940s and left after a few years since the family's single source of income was from owning nearly 2 full districts in modern day Bangladesh. Back then, post independence, the land was declared enemy property by the Indian Govt. (it became part of East Pakistan) so there was zero compensation and no revenue and the IF and most other cars were sold off with only a few like the Silver Ghost being retained in storage till the 60s.

Er, about digging a bit more into this, I really must get down to do this soon. I have been told on several occasions to go over to the Mitter residence but I've never gone around to do this

BTW, our family used to have a Napier and a Minerva, wonder where they went. No one from that gen in our family is around anymore.

[manishalive]

Got my copy yesterday, an awesome read, going by the pictures. Some of the pictures are so damn nice. In the acknowledgement section, many familiar names are there. Two of them very regular to forum are Harit and Wasif. And then some Pebble beach pictures are by very own Karlos.

[deutscheafrikar]

Originally Posted by manishalive

Two of them very regular to forum are Harit and Wasif. And then some Pebble beach pictures are by very own Karlos.

Three actually. Our very own Bulldogji too

Originally Posted by mbz180

It maybe possible that the IF landed up in our family. Haritji, can you give an approximate idea as to when they sold the IF? I ask since the IF came into our family in the 1940s and left after a few years

Er, about digging a bit more into this, I really must get down to do this soon. I have been told on several occasions to go over to the Mitter residence but I've never gone around to do this

BTW, our family used to have a Napier and a Minerva, wonder where they went. No one from that gen in our family is around anymore.

Ahaa Prithvi, You still haven't? Maybe you should talk to Gautam too.

Originally Posted by wasif

but i got a mail saying a copy has been reserved for me.

Just waiting to sort out the logistics of delivery from India.

Wasif has your book reached? Otherwise I'll send you my copy

[67Bug]

Originally Posted by manishalive

Got my copy yesterday

Can you please guide from where can one procure a copy of the same?

[deutscheafrikar]

Originally Posted by 67Bug

Can you please guide from where can one procure a copy of the same?

You can get it from bookadda
Scroll up on this page to wasif's post for the link