Leading automotive journalist and vintage and classic car historian Gautam Sen has released a book chronicling the life of a very special Rolls - 17EX.
Below is the press release
Press Release Rolls-Royce 17EX A Fabulous Destiny
It is indeed incredible that this most unusual experimental car 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? This 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 royalty, celebrities and enthusiasts.
Gautam Sen, widely acknowledged as the leading automotive journalist and writer in India, has done extensive research and been afforded unique access to the families that have owned 17EX at various points of time. Other than being in touch with the grandson of the Maharaja of Kashmir, 17EX’s first owner, Sen knows 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 Sen and all of them have come forth in providing valuable archival material and information. The result is an authoritative and visually impressive 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.
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’ętre of this car, the ‘making of’ it and the fabulous destiny that awaited it.
The Author
Gautam Sen is accredited as the leading automotive journalist in India, having founded the country’s first car magazine Indian Auto in 1986. In 1993 he launched Auto India, which became India’s best-selling car magazine and later the Indian editions of auto motor und sport and the BBC’s TopGear magazine. Since 2007 he has been back in the driver’s seat at Auto India and divides his time between Paris, where his family lives, and Mumbai. Other books written by Sen include: The Maharajas & Their Magnificent Motor Cars, The Story of The Star in India and The Car Design Book.
We got a sneak preview of the book at Pebble Beach where 17EX was participating in the Maharaja - Rolls-Royce class, strategically placed under the driver's door by your's truly
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Gautam was very gracious to present me a copy, and I can say I thoroughly enjoyed following its glittering history - it was commissioned by RR themselves, sold to Kashmir, then the Mitters (sharing very pedigreed company), changed a few more hands including Protap Roy. The present owner, Alexander Schauffler acquired the car from Victor Mueller (of Spyker and SAAB fame), and has reportedly rallied it 10,000 miles last year alone! Schauffler also owns a fabulous 500K Mercedes with an equally interesting history (though not Indian), and even took a prize in the Mercedes class this time at but more on that later.
The book is packed with unknown anecdotes and some fabulous archive photographs from the Roy and Mitter families, including this lovely one standing with the 2 Dueseys and 2 SS Mercedes of the Mitters (where are they now?). More awe inspiring images like these in the book.
A chapter will be included on the car's stint at Pebble, and will go on sale shortly thereafter. A must for the Rolls enthusiast, the vintage car enthusiast, and even the history buff. Looking forward to more similar projects