Thanks to the remarkable efforts of Steve Stuckey we have a record of another amazing car that came to the Nizam's family. The following is a copy of the post # 641 made by Steve in the "Rolls Royces in India" thread at TBHP :
This car was one of the most spectacular Phantom IIIs. It was sent off test on 7 July 1937, fitted with engine C68A and E type steering. The chassis was sent to coachbuilders Windovers Ltd. on 13 July, and they built a cabriolet body to design 5097 (body number 6483).
The car was finished in mustard yellow, with the rear wings, dual spare wheel covers, full rear spats and a broad side swage line in maroon. The hood (top) was in dark red material, stored in a dark red mohair envelope at the rear of the car. Crests and monograms in gold were painted on the front doors. The four external door handles were recesssed. A Lalique glass mascot could be illuminated either red or blue. The wheel discs were chrome-plated. The two-piece windscreen was made to fold flat onto the scuttle. From the front could be see the special bullet headlamps, spotlamps fitted to each side of the scuttle, parking lights flared into each of the special wheel covers, large floodlights flared into the front wings, and a centre-mounted spotlamp. Special reversing lamps were also fitted. Two four-note trumpet horns and two American police sirens completed the front hardware of the car, just in case you didn’t notice it coming!
Inside the interior was fitted in gold-coloured leather, piped in dark red. There was red leather flooring to the front compartment and red carpet to the rear. The dashboard was finished in dark red Cellastoid in milk finish (I am not sure what this in, but I assume a type of metal finish). The steering wheel rim was in ivory. All the side windows of the car were of red-tinted Triplex glass. There was a division behind the adjustable front seat, but not glass between it and the top of the car. The door handles and window winders were made to fold flush into the door linings. In the division there was a cocktail cabinet with a soda bottle and three large cut-glass tumblers. There were Thermos flasks to each elbow of the rear seat, and to the offside there was a detachable spittoon made to look like a speaking tube (!!). Revolver holsters were fitted to each side of the dash! There was a radio in the dash as well, with controls in both front and rear compartments. In the boot was provision for a portable radiogram.
On 28 February 1938, a full seven and a half months after the chassis was delivered, this well-equipped car was finished. On 2 April it was shipped to Bombay aboard the ss “Burdwan”. The car had been ordered from Windovers by His Highness Walashan Himayat Ali Khan Azam Jah Berar, Crown Prince of Hyderabad (21 February 1907 – 9 October 1970). He was the son of the 7th Maharaja but he never took the throne; his son succeeded his grandfather as 8th Maharaja in 1967. Prince Berar also owned 20/25HP GTK19, a Windovers drophead coupé, and Bentley 4.25 litre B104MR, a Park Ward allweather. His chauffeur of seven years, Krishnawaly, completed the RR School of Instruction course on 24 July 1937, where he would have learned how to look after the Phantom III. After the War Prince Berar was to own Bentley Mark VIs B197AJ (a standard saloon) and B6LJ, a Park Ward drophead coupé.
Not surprisingly this spectacular-looking car was shown in the motoring press: in The Autocar of 4 March 1938 and a full page in The Motor of 19 April 1938. It was also in the Rolls-Royce Bulletin of March 1939, in the snow in Switzerland.
In 1948 the car went back to Europe and in February 1950 was given English registration KYX56; in 1953 it was owned by a Captain J Radcliffe. In 1952 it was with coachbuilders Hooper, where it was repainted black and the floodlights in the front wings were removed (new wings were fitted). At this time also the car was reupholstered in black leather.
In late 1956 the car was back again at Hooper, who removed the spare wheels and prepared to car to be the State Car of Portugal (it is rumoured to be ready for a State Visit by Queen Elizabeth). It remained the State Car until replaced by Phantom V 5LAT84 in 1960, but was still used occasionally until the 1980s to transport Heads of State visiting Portugal. It was owned by Jorge Sampaio, who donated it to the Caramulo Museum run by Dr Joao de Lacerda. It is still there, having had a full restoration in 1999.
These photos show the car as it was when new and then at Hooper on 26 November 1956.
Attached Thumbnails
Steve thanks once again for this remarkable post on a most historic car from Hyderabad