[travancore]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Thanks. I think the picture in the book is with Shiek Mukhtiar though, dressed as a royal.

Karlos, you are right. The picture with the maharaja is on the Cadillac database (www.car-nection.com). Yann, hope you dont mind my posting the pictures here
V16 survivors, custom jobs




Car above in India in the 1960's

[travancore]

Originally Posted by wasif

This is a picture of the Orchha Cadillac when it was with Jay Leno. Notice this colour combo looks great.

The other car is the Maharaja of Tikari's V16 with a Fleetwood dual cowl touring body.

I believe the Tikari V-16 was originally owned by the Maharaja of Patiala - the car is also featured on the car-nection site mentioned below

[wasif]

Here are pictures and details on a 37 Mercedes 540K Mayfair Roadster which may have been ordered and owned either by an Indian Prince or a British expat.Records are unclear on this

Can anyone add to this. I think RM sold this car at the 07 Monterey Auction.

Report courtsey of Sports Car Market and can be found at

1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster | Profiles | Sports Car Market

1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster It’s a wonderful, bulletproof Autobahn cruiser, but driving over the Italian Alps requires substantial effort by Alex Finigan
Upping the ante in the 1930s horsepower race, Mercedes-Benz designers introduced the 8-cylinder 500K (for Kompressor, or supercharger) model in 1934. The supercharger boosted power from 100 hp to 160 hp, and the external exhausts set the style that would carry the company through the rest of the decade.
Two years later, the 5.4-liter 540K model was introduced, offering 180 hp with the supercharger engaged and crowning the company’s ambitions. By 1940, 419 cars had been built in eleven body styles from the factory’s gifted Sindelfingen coachworks and a handful of one-offs.
This 540K roadster was constructed by the Mayfair Carriage Company in London, a small operation best known for bodying Alvis and Lagonda. This car is considered to represent the apogee of Mayfair’s work, at once sporting and elegant, with folding windshield and extensive use of louvers.
Mercedes records indicate the chassis was shipped October 7, 1936, to the factory outlet in Paris—an odd destination for a right-hand-drive car that would later get an English body. It’s an anomaly that may never be explained but adds to the exotic aura surrounding the car.
There’s some disagreement over whether the first owner was an English ex-pat or an Indian Maharajah, but in any case, the car made its way to Canada in the 1950s with a returning serviceman.
It was involved in a barn fire, then sold to Detroit collector Richard Mertz in the early 1960s. Mertz restored it over the next 20 years before dying and leaving it to his son to complete.
That didn’t happen until 1995, when it was sold to casino owner and car collector Ralph Englestad of Las Vegas, and repainted from black over silver to its present red. On Englestad’s death in 2002, the car joined a California collection, where it has been since.
Perhaps the most telling aspect of the restoration is in the detailing of the interior instruments and upholstery. It is difficult to find fault with the fit of any piece, and every switch, lever, and button works perfectly. Although the restoration is several years old, it remains in excellent condition today.
In the world of collector cars, few chances arise to own a car as important as a pre-war supercharged Mercedes-Benz. This is all the more remarkable, as it is a one-off from a well-known coachbuilder, and one of the more sporting examples of the model.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by wasif

Here are pictures and details on a 37 Mercedes 540K Mayfair Roadster which may have been ordered and owned either by an Indian Prince or a British expat.

What a gorgeous car, fender skirts appear typically Erdmann & Rossi. Unlikely that it has an Indian connection, but never say never.

[Alvis]

Wasif,

I doubt any Englishman worth his salt would buy this in the tense era of 36-39, but you never know. For such a gem of a car, rebellion against the Empire would be a small price to pay!!

On a more serious note the Nawab of Bahawalpur had a 500 K from the same era but it was very smartly bodied by Barker.The car was taken out of Pakistan in 1967, and was on e-bay for sale ( about a year and half back ) asking price was $ 1.5 Million. Mileage was 5000 Miles. I do have the e-bay photographs somewhere.
If I am correct in my memory, I also remember reading somewhere that the Bahawalpur car was delivered new in chassis form to Jack Barclay in London and then on to Barker.

[wasif]

Originally Posted by Alvis

Wasif,

I doubt any Englishman worth his salt would buy this in the tense era of 36-39, but you never know. For such a gem of a car, rebellion against the Empire would be a small price to pay!!

On a more serious note the Nawab of Bahawalpur had a 500 K from the same era but it was very smartly bodied by Barker.The car was taken out of Pakistan in 1967, and was on e-bay for sale ( about a year and half back ) asking price was $ 1.5 Million. Mileage was 5000 Miles. I do have the e-bay photographs somewhere.
If I am correct in my memory, I also remember reading somewhere that the Bahawalpur car was delivered new in chassis form to Jack Barclay in London and then on to Barker.

Hi

Thanks for the comments. It would appear that someone who had money, taste and lived in a place where they drove on the left side of the street ordered the car. Just was wondering if any of our esteemed members would be able to add more to this cars tale.

Do you have info on the other cars that were with the Nawab of Bhawalpur, some sold earlier and some auctioned recently. Would be interesting reading.

I hear about how a 540K, one of two claimed to belong to the Nawab gifted to a friend was chopped up into bits for some reason. Is this a fact

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by Alvis

On a more serious note the Nawab of Bahawalpur had a 500 K from the same era but it was very smartly bodied by Barker.The car was taken out of Pakistan in 1967, and was on e-bay for sale ( about a year and half back ) asking price was $ 1.5 Million. Mileage was 5000 Miles. I do have the e-bay photographs somewhere.
If I am correct in my memory, I also remember reading somewhere that the Bahawalpur car was delivered new in chassis form to Jack Barclay in London and then on to Barker.

Here is the fantastic Bahwalpur car. Unparalled in terms of preservation.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/728925-post85.html

[travancore]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

What a gorgeous car, fender skirts appear typically Erdmann & Rossi. Unlikely that it has an Indian connection, but never say never.

This magnificent car is Chassis # 154080 according to conceptcarz.com
1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Information and History | Conceptcarz.com

The book "The Mighty Mercedes" by Michael Frostick curiously does not list an original owner for this car. However, the very next serial number (Chassis 154081), a 540K Cabriolet A, commission # 232198 was delivered in July 1937 to the Maharaja (Holkar) of Indore ! I had posted a picture earlier, need to find it.

[wasif]

Any idea on the present whereabouts / pictures of the Holkar 540K, and other important Holkar cars ?

[harit]

Mercedes 540K.

One Maharaja Car was advertised in Hemmings about 9 to 10 years ago for 1 Million USD. It was called a Maharaja car, I forgot which one but it was silver in colour with a very sleek body. I will begin a search for it, may take time.
Another 540K (maybe 500, 540 more likely) was with the Roy brothers in Calcutta. I remember that she was black. Where did this go and whose was it originally? A picture was in the magazine Top Gear within their first issues when they had a vintage section.
As the Bhawalpur car was mentioned, I was wondering how that one was sold off when so many other cars were left to rot till they were recently sold off. Any theories?
About the side of the steering in the red car featured, please remember that a lot of Indian royalty did live in France. One of them could have ordered the car with the intention of taking ultimately to India. So the steering side does not make the story impossible, whether it is a tale time may tell!

harit

[wasif]

The 540 from Bhawalpur which is pictured in the post refered to by Karlos was actually sold by the family long before the dispute started which resulted in the other cars being locked up.

There were atleast two 540K and maybe a few more 500K's that the Bhawalpur family actually owned over time.

Some of them were given out as gifts by the Nawab.

Maybe someone from Pakwheels can add to this.

Wasif

PS : there were two Cadillac V16 cars too in the lot that was auctioned. Any idea what happened to these two cars.

Also what is the sitiuation regarding the Faridkote Cars, I heve hear teht there may be a few interesting cars still to be found locked up there.

[Alvis]

It is a confirmed fact that Bahawalpur only had this one 540 K. They did have one more 320, the fate of that car is still unknown.

The 540 k was exported out of Pakistan after she was sold by the last ruling Nawab in 1967, so it seems it was sold as a legal deal. There was and still is no law barring exports of classic cars from Pakistan, though there is a very strict enforcement of the law on antique Ghandara and Buddha era statue pieces.

The Nawab's 1968 Rolls Royce Phantom V was gifted to the President of Pakistan in 1969. It was in regular use but was sold off by the Presidents House in 1996 and was exported to the UK.

[roopgill]

I took these pictures few years ago in LA Peterson Museum. 2002 Don't know much about it, I am sure someone in here will know the history behind this car. Enjoy.

[wasif]

Hi Roop.

Pleasure to make your aquaintance here. Have heard a lot about you and your bikes.

The Bentley is a mystery as there is another such car credited to have belonged to the Bhavanahar Royal Family. I posted a picture of it in the WO Bentley thread recently.

Could it be that there were two 6 litre Bentleys with them or one of the cars in not described accurately.

I'm sure someone here will come up with the correct facts soon.

BTW the Petersen also has the Maharaja of Mysores Blue Delahaye roadster with teh Figoni coachwork. Do you have any pictures of it by any chance.

Wasif

[travancore]

Originally Posted by wasif

Hi Roop.

Pleasure to make your aquaintance here. Have heard a lot about you and your bikes.

The Bentley is a mystery as there is another such car credited to have belonged to the Bhavanahar Royal Family. I posted a picture of it in the WO Bentley thread recently.

Could it be that there were two 6 litre Bentleys with them or one of the cars in not described accurately.

I'm sure someone here will come up with the correct facts soon.


Wasif

This car (chassis FA2513 and body) were reunited by Peter Hageman, as far as I know. This original body was swapped for a four door Barker tourer in 1938 by the Maharaja himself. At least a partial history of this car is described on the Vintagebentleys.org website
www.VintageBentleys.org :: [1929 Bentley] Registration No. (Not available) / RLE 21 :: Chassis No. FA2513 :: Engine No. FA2515