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Old 9th August 2020, 17:26   #1621
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KartikeyaL View Post
Cross posting

XK140 ex-Bhopal/ex-Pataudi

Soha Ali Khan Pataudi shared this picture of the Jaguar with her brother, Saif Ali Khan Pataudi and herself.
The picture appears to have been taken at their bungalow on Dupleix Road in New Delhi

Quote:
Originally Posted by KartikeyaL View Post
Thank you for such a great picture.

I had posted about the Upper India Motor company here

I am re-posting them here

Attachment 2038783

Attachment 2038784
This letter is remarkable in that it mentions an automobile agency on Shah Najaf Road in Lucknow in the first decade of the 20th century. Shah Najaf Road has had several motor car agencies since at least the 1950s. My memory does not go beyond 1958 but they must have been there before independence. At least two of the older motor agencies are still there on Shah Najaf Road a couple of others might have come up over the past twenty years.

Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 9th August 2020 at 18:38. Reason: Please use the EDIT or QUOTE+ (multi-quote) button instead of typing one post after another on the same thread!!
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Old 9th August 2020, 18:05   #1622
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Quote:
Originally Posted by terryh2c View Post
Thank you for your very warm comments regarding my posted photograph. My great grandfather has been a source of great interest for me as I am a car enthusiast and now have someone to blame for my obsession - it's clearly hereditary.
Charles Dear was an apprentice motor mechanic with Daimler from the age of 15 in the 1890s. He later drove in the London to Brighton motor trials in the early 1900s (see attached photograph).
In April 1905 Charles, his wife, three sons, and brother Alan left England to establish a motor business in Lucknow; The Upper India Motor Company.
I presume Daimler had enough interest from the Lucknow region to establish an agency there and Charles had the ability to drive, fix, and sell cars so was well credentialled.
Quite how the business fared I am unaware.
There is a gap between starting the business in 1905 and Charles leaving India and moving to Western Australia to go farming, establishing 'Lucknow Farm' in 1913 in East Narrogin.
Why did Charles leave India?
Family oral history has it that Charles was driving with some of the Maharaj's family in the mountains and they were attacked by robbers. Various of the group were either injured (not sure if there was also a death?) but this made Charles' mind up to look for further opportunities elsewhere. How accurate this is I cannot be sure.
I have attached a few photographs of his time in India with cars.
Any help to fill in the story would be very much appreciated.
I have planned to visit Lucknow to get a sense of how it must have been for Charles and visit the places he photographed.
That seems a distant dream as we start our second week of hard lockdown in Melbourne, only able to travel 5kms!
I shall hazard a few guesses (even though they may be way off)-

pic-1) Wolseley?
pic-3) Napier?
pic-4) Clement Bayard?

regards,
Aditya
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Old 10th August 2020, 13:08   #1623
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Couldn't stop myself from cross posting this image in this thread

Mridul Singh shared this picture of the Ajaigarh princes

Quote:
It's bade daju saheb and majhle daju saheb Ajaigarh, likely it was clicked in Anand bhawan, Bombay.

I came across this red car many years later under a Vansda palace staircase.
Kunwari Shri Sushil Kunwarba [Maharani Sushil Devi of Ajaigarh] d/o HH Bansda was married to Maharaja Devendra Vijaya Singh of Ajaigarh, which explains the Ajaigarh/Bansda connection.

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-picture-ajaigarh-princes.jpg
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Old 11th August 2020, 13:07   #1624
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

1921, crowd lining the street in Benares, as Prince of Wales later King Edward VIII, alights from the Crossley in the front, the last car has "UP" registration no., which I can barely read.

Credit : Pindi Lull via the Royal Collection trust

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-8997161561565860-pindi-lull-crowd-lining-street-benares.jpg
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Old 19th August 2020, 13:37   #1625
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Quote:
Originally Posted by travancore View Post
Prince Shiv of Palitana with the T-Bird and an Aston Martin. Not sure if the Aston was a Palitana car.
Some more pictures of Palitana cars in India and abroad.

Picture courtesy : Shri Ketan Shivendra Sinhji Gohel of Palitana

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-palitana-1.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-palitana-m.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-palitana-abroad-1.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-palitana-abroad-2.jpg
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Old 19th August 2020, 18:14   #1626
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Quote:
Originally Posted by KartikeyaL View Post
Some more pictures of Palitana cars in India and abroad.

Picture courtesy : Shri Ketan Shivendra Sinhji Gohel of Palitana

Attachment 2044994
Wonder if the Palitana Corvette came to India / if it is the same as the Kutch car (though the side insert colours are different).

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-kutch-corvette-period-tbhp.jpg

Last edited by travancore : 19th August 2020 at 18:17.
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Old 20th August 2020, 21:35   #1627
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

courtesy: Soulsteer Gwalior

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-gwalior-humber-pullman-ca-1950-vijaya-raje-scindia-ca-1957.jpg

Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia, ca 1957.

Perhaps a Humber Pullman, based on the bonnet side badge ?
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Old 20th August 2020, 22:13   #1628
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Quote:
Originally Posted by travancore View Post
Wonder if the Palitana Corvette came to India / if it is the same as the Kutch car (though the side insert colours are different).

Attachment 2045207
There is something not quite right about this picture. The couple are in focus while the rest of the pic is not. Also, the couple are lit from the left while the rest of the pic from the right. Above all else, the car looks too small in relation to the couple.

regards,
Aditya
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Old 21st August 2020, 17:14   #1629
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Quote:
Originally Posted by KartikeyaL View Post
Some more pictures of Palitana cars in India and abroad.

Picture courtesy : Shri Ketan Shivendra Sinhji Gohel of Palitana
Quote:
Originally Posted by travancore View Post
Wonder if the Palitana Corvette came to India / if it is the same as the Kutch car (though the side insert colours are different).
The Palitana Corvette never came to India according to Mr. Ketan Sinh of Palitana.

He has also shared some more images of Prince Shiv's car's from family albums (Many many thanks)


Thunderbird in Bombay with English plates
How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-palitana-thunderbird-england-plates.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-palitana-thunderbird-english-plates.jpg


with Palitana plates

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-palitana-tb-1.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-palitana-tb-1a.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-palitana-thunderbird.jpg


in color
How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-palitana-tb-color.jpg


Palitana Impala
How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-palitana-impala.jpg

Corvette (abroad)
How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-c-1.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-c-2.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-c-3.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-c-5.jpg


And this lovely scale model of Prince Shiv’s Aston martin, which adorns the mantle place, in front of the picture of HH Thakore Sahib Bahadur Sinhji Man Sinhji & his son Prince Shiv

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-scale-model.jpg

Last edited by KartikeyaL : 21st August 2020 at 17:18.
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Old 25th August 2020, 11:55   #1630
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Quote:
The Prince of Wales and the Maharaja Scindia starting for Shikar 8-12 Feb 1922
Credit : Desai R.L via The Royal Collection Trust

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-prince-wales-maharaja-scindia.jpg
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Old 26th August 2020, 03:09   #1631
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Quote:
Originally Posted by KartikeyaL View Post
Credit : Desai R.L via The Royal Collection Trust

Attachment 2047421
How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-gwalior-pow-shikar-renault-crossley.jpg

A bit larger.
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Old 27th August 2020, 12:07   #1632
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Some lovely photos of the Telco / Dungarpur Mercedes Nurburg which is still retained in Jamshedpur. These were shared by Sheshadri Mookerji, his grandfather was incharge of GET training with the Tatas, who worked on the car, due credit and thanks

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-img_5377.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-img_5378.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-img_5614.jpg

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-img_5615.jpg

Last edited by karlosdeville : 27th August 2020 at 12:27.
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Old 27th August 2020, 15:36   #1633
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Bilkha State no. 4, was on eBay a few years back

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-bilkha-state-no4.jpg
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Old 28th August 2020, 14:50   #1634
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Cross posting

Lord Minto arriving by motor car to view the Alwar stables, 1909, is it an Alwar car or a Viceregal car ?

Credit : Bates & Hindmarch

How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-lord-minto-alwar-stables-1909..jpg

Last edited by KartikeyaL : 28th August 2020 at 14:54.
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Old 28th August 2020, 21:24   #1635
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Re: How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas

Quote:
Originally Posted by KartikeyaL View Post
Cross posting

Lord Minto arriving by motor car to view the Alwar stables, 1909, is it an Alwar car or a Viceregal car ?

Credit : Bates & Hindmarch

Attachment 2048816
How rich were the Maharajas before Independence! Cars of the Maharajas-alwar-rr-sg-1523-xtralarge-coachbuildforum.jpg

Lovely! Though the colours look darker, I beleive it icould be this Alwar Silver Ghost, Chassis 1523.
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