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Old 5th January 2012, 10:35   #1546
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

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Originally Posted by travancore View Post
GHJ76 is a R-R 20 H.P. (1927 Park Ward landaulette). The original owner (per Fasal's RR Twenty) is Mrs. F. Cunard.
Just did a quick search on the net. When I saw your post with the sir name 'Cunard' I thought of the Cunard Shipping Co. Turns out that Mrs. Florence Cunard's 2nd husband was Enrnest Cunard, one of the Director's of the Cunard Shipping Line.

Just a bit of trivia, Florence Cunard's daughter's name was also Florence and was married to the Grosvenor family and by marriage became the 3rd Baroness of Edbury. She died 20 years before her mother and left her estate (after her husband passed away) to her mother, Mrs. F. Cunard!

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Old 5th January 2012, 20:48   #1547
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

My apologies to those of you trying to find out more on the 1927 RR. The chassis number I have previously given is incorrect. Also it's not a RR Ghost but a RR 20hp.

Here are the correct details:

1927 Rolls-Royce 20hp
Chassis No. GUJ76
Reg. No. CY 2086
Coachbuilder Newens of Thames Ditton, Surrey


Unless the situation has changed I believe that it is this car that is now cared for by the Ceylon-German Technical Training Institute in Moratuwa.

Here are a couple of links which show the car in archive articles:

http://www.island.lk/2007/06/29/L2-3.pdf

http://www.island.lk/2007/05/11/L2-3.pdf

It's the name of the tea planter owner from the late 1940s early 1950s that I am trying to find out.

Once again I am sorry for the confusion.
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Old 6th January 2012, 11:53   #1548
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

Wali-ud-Dowla did have a smaller RR other than 71DC
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Old 9th January 2012, 04:45   #1549
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

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Originally Posted by mbz180 View Post
Some how I forgot to mention this before; once a year, a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, probably around the 1920s, comes to a Satyanaran Temple, only during Dussehra.

I have seen the car 2 years back, and it belongs to the temple trust, and I think it may have been donated to the temple by some devotee. I say its a Silver Ghost because it has the honeycomb radiator without any slats, and most importantly, it has the diagonal braces which run from the front cross bar to the far side of the front cantilever springs.

The car is quite original, aluminium bodied and polished to some extent, with some of the meters still there and original steering wheel, gear-change, headlamps etc, but the rear has been converted to a throne for the deity. Another deity from another temple belonging to the same trust comes during this time, in this very car on the throne and is kept in the temple in my area and after the Puja's and festivities it is sent back with the car.

I had then tried to take pics but then thought better as I did not want to annoy the priests.

This Dussehra I will definitely keep a look out for the car and try and obtain permission from the priests to take some shots.

It looks similar to this car, but with aluminium and the modified rear end.

All sizes | 1920 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

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Prithvi
Hi Prithvi:
The car should be Chassis 6-UE, which came to India in 1929.

The following is a quote from the Kipling Journal, Dec 1982:

"Rudyard Kipling's 1920 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost has turned up, appropriately enough in the land where so many of his books were set. What is more, this Ghost is still in use... It belongs to a religious sect [in Calcutta] known as the Howra [sic] Temple Trust and is used once each year to carry up to twenty clerics and a 6 cwt solid silver effigy on an eight mile pilgrimage. Fanatical followers shower it with coins and red powder on this journey, a feat it has accomplished every year since 1928. Although in astonishingly original condition . . . many of its mechanical parts had become seriously worn through lack of maintenance.

Jonathan Harley of J. N. Harley Engineering was sent for to give it a major overhaul... Red powder had found its way into everything and when he stripped the car he found handfuls of small coins thrown to appease the God of Wealth, though he found them useful for keeping onlookers at bay"

How do we get to see some pictures ???? Supposedly the car was shown in the Classis & Sportscar Magazine of June / July 1982.
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Old 11th January 2012, 06:13   #1550
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

Here is an interesting photo. The actor is Milton Sills with a R-R Silver Ghost (?).

The background looks very "Indian" to me with the typical lattice work on the wall and the banana leaves fluttering in the breeze.

The coachwork on this RHD car though, looks more American than British.

Milton Sills did act as a British Major in a movie called Pampered Youth set in India. Can't confirm if it was shot in India, or if this photo is from that movie.

Open for comments!

picture courtesy films-muets.blogpot.com

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Old 16th January 2012, 07:30   #1551
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Mir of Khairpur Wedding 1958

source: Pictures - khairpur

Classic Rolls Royces in India-khairpur-rr-1958.jpg
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Old 16th January 2012, 09:21   #1552
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

Other than the President of India's Silver Cloud did anyone else import these?
I can think of one car with Bhogilal and another with the Poonawalas
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Old 16th January 2012, 12:39   #1553
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by travancore View Post
Here is an interesting photo. The actor is Milton Sills with a R-R Silver Ghost (?).

The background looks very "Indian" to me with the typical lattice work on the wall and the banana leaves fluttering in the breeze.

The coachwork on this RHD car though, looks more American than British.


Open for comments!

picture courtesy films-muets.blogpot.com
Does look like a Springfield product to me as well, especially the design of the windscreen frame. A Silver Ghost for sure, no drums for the brakes on the front wheels.

Regards
mbz180

Last edited by karlosdeville : 17th January 2012 at 15:39. Reason: Fixing quote
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Old 16th January 2012, 13:37   #1554
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

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Originally Posted by DKG View Post
Other than the President of India's Silver Cloud did anyone else import these?
I can think of one car with Bhogilal and another with the Poonawalas
The route of Bhogilals car is via British Embassy, STC, private owner in Mumbai, the Bhogilal.
The other Cloud with Poonawala was with someone in Chandigarh, was that a President of India car? I am not sure about its lineage.
A third one has also come in recently, owner expected to reveal soon.
Khairpur is in Sindh in Pakistan, and they still have 2 to 3 Clouds over there.

Cheers harit

Last edited by harit : 16th January 2012 at 13:38.
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Old 16th January 2012, 16:35   #1555
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

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Originally Posted by harit View Post
was that a President of India car? I am not sure about its lineage.
Harit there's a possibility I may be mistaken. The President of India comes into Hyderabad every winter. I clearly recall a steel grey Silver Cloud on tank bund road coinciding with Sanjiva Reddy's visit. On the other hand the Queen too had visited Hyderabad many years ago and could it have been the same British Embassy car sent to Hyderabad for her visit? A little research would clarify this.

Come to think of it a thread on cars of the President of India would be a interesting read
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Old 17th January 2012, 00:06   #1556
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

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Originally Posted by DKG View Post
Come to think of it a thread on cars of the President of India would be a interesting read
Deepak,

Travancore has started one already

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-w...-republic.html

But rather dormant of late

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe


Ram
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Old 17th January 2012, 04:46   #1557
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

I have the following post-war cars being used by officials in India
Silver Wraith WVA6 first used by the Viceroy and then by the President;
Silver Wraith HLW15 (Park Ward limousine) used by the British High Commissioner in New Delhi (and now with Mr Jaiswal);
Phantom V 5VD65 used by the British High Commissioner (and now in the Bhogilal Collection).
The only Silver Cloud I know of delivered new to India was a Silver Cloud I with Radford saloon body SYB126 to a Miss K Purie. Could this be the car at the railway?
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Old 17th January 2012, 09:36   #1558
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

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Originally Posted by r_nairtvm View Post
Travancore has started one already
Thanks Ram you just cleared my doubt. The Rolls I spoke of appears in this picture in a Presidential procession in Prem's thread. This would be the car I saw in Hyderabad during Sanjiva Reddy's annual visit.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-w...ml#post2348164

The Rolls may have been a gift to the President? hence it doesn't show up in Steve's list of official cars?

Last edited by DKG : 17th January 2012 at 09:48.
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Old 17th January 2012, 13:14   #1559
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by DKG View Post
Other than the President of India's Silver Cloud did anyone else import these? I can think of one car with Bhogilal and another with the Poonawalas
Quote:
Originally Posted by harit View Post
The route of Bhogilals car is via British Embassy, STC, private owner in Mumbai, the Bhogilal. The other Cloud with Poonawala was with someone in Chandigarh, was that a President of India car? I am not sure about its lineage. A third one has also come in recently, owner expected to reveal soon.
If my memory is not playing tricks, I seem to recollect that a silver-coloured Silver Cloud used to be parked at Connaught Place, Delhi in the 1980s, probably near Odeon cinema or one of the other radial road sectors. And, if memory further serves me right, she was a LHD. I don't think it was a Bentley S1. Awini?
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Old 17th January 2012, 15:16   #1560
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re: Classic Rolls Royces in India

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Originally Posted by Prabal View Post
If my memory is not playing tricks, I seem to recollect that a silver-coloured Silver Cloud used to be parked at Connaught Place, Delhi in the 1980s, probably near Odeon cinema or one of the other radial road sectors. And, if memory further serves me right, she was a LHD. I don't think it was a Bentley S1. Awini?
yes prabal, the silver grey rolls in CP is the poorie car, and the lhd car outside odeon is a jaguar mkVII, currently with parvez, who also has the "killer" studebaker. there is a very nice cloud III in delhi too, but i havent seen it in a very long time.
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