[meisnutz]

Originally Posted by meisnutz

My Grand dad owned a Standard Herald Mark 2.It is coming to me in two months.
It cost him Rs.17400 in 1967.

hi josejoseph,
Here are the approximate prices of other cars at that time.My dad vaguely remembers those:
Ambassador:Rs24000
Fiat:Rs21000
Standard Herald Mark 3: Rs18200
Standard Herald Gazel: Rs21000
These are just approximate numbers.

-----Nutz

[karlosdeville]

A sales receipt from TVS Coimbatore of a 1956 Fiat is posted here

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vinta...ml#post3279386 (Vintage Related Memorabilia)

The cost of the car as of 26th Feb 1956 appears to be Rs. 9,906

[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

A sales receipt from TVS Coimbatore of a 1956 Fiat is posted here

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vinta...ml#post3279386 (Vintage Related Memorabilia)

The cost of the car as of 26th Feb 1956 appears to be Rs. 9,906

I guess it would have been a Millecento going by the purchase date.

Secondly, how much (approx.) would a W111 Fintail or a six cylinder Ponton have cost in India, in the early Sixties?

Cheers!

Fintail/Heckflosse!

[karlosdeville]

This Dodge Kingsway was bought in 1956 (dated 29th November 1956, to the SSP of Lucknow). The cost was rupees 61,083 and 81 paise

It also says they received an offer of 60 lakh rupees to buy it - highly unlikely as it sounds. But I am so glad a car like this has been retained and fairly well kept with the services.

Vintageman or perak - can you share some more information?

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vinta...ml#post3333316 (Pics: Vintage & Classic cars in India)

[Bulldogji]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

This Dodge Kingsway was bought in 1956 (dated 29th November 1956, to the SSP of Lucknow). The cost was rupees 61,083 and 81 paise

It also says they received an offer of 60 lakh rupees to buy it - highly unlikely as it sounds. But I am so glad a car like this has been retained and fairly well kept with the services.

Vintageman or perak - can you share some more information?

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vinta...ml#post3333316 (Pics: Vintage & Classic cars in India)

Well, our fully imported Dodge Kingsway in 1954 cost 14000/ rupees.

I wonder if over invoicing was a practise in those days?

Sixty lakhs for that car today? Whoever made that offer, they can have my 56

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by Bulldogji

Well, our fully imported Dodge Kingsway in 1954 cost 14000/ rupees.

I wonder if over invoicing was a practise in those days?

Sixty lakhs for that car today? Whoever made that offer, they can have my 56

Bulldogji, looks like you got a great deal on the 54 Dodge



Just noticed this ad shows the price as 18,740 ex factory, local taxes etc.

If you can dig up period literature and memorabilia from what must be a comprehensive history file, please do share.

[harit]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Bulldogji, looks like you got a great deal on the 54 Dodge.....this ad shows the price as 18,740 ex factory, local taxes etc..

Bulldogji did not go to buy this car, they wanted the later model which was the latest at that time. The dealer wanted to get rid of it, one of the last of this model lying with them. So maybe they gave a larger discount. Discounts for stale model is a practice that is prevalent even to this day. They got a great deal indeed

Cheers harit

[karlosdeville]

Looking at some more ads, we can presume that in 1954 we had a choice of

Dodge Kingsway - Rs. 18,740
DeSoto Diplomat - Rs. 18,590
Plymouth Savoy - Rs. 18,590

(all prices ex-factory).

I am surprised that the DeSoto and Plymouth were priced identical - I was under the impression that the DeSoto was marketed as premium to the Plymouth, and price would have reflected so.

[TractionAvant]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

My 1969 Jawa was bought new for Rs. 4,511.70

Just came across this (excellent) thread. That is a sharp rise in 4 to 5 years. My father bought a Jawa (admittedly from the military canteen) in 1965 for Rs.2400!

Here is a pic

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vintag...ml#post3421019

[Bulldogji]

Harit is correct, our car was the last in the showroom and discounted.
Interestingly in the picture, the wheel caps are different. Ours had Kingsway written across them and the centre was not so prominently domed. Maybe the car pictured is not a Kingsway??

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by Bulldogji

Interestingly in the picture, the wheel caps are different. Ours had Kingsway written across them and the centre was not so prominently domed. Maybe the car pictured is not a Kingsway??

Were there other versions of the 54 Dodge also sold here aside from the Kingsway? I had no idea. What were the options?

[anjan_c2007]

Though the Contessa is a 1984 entry into our automobile scenario here, we were debating the price.

Here is one of its earliest advertisements:



Cost Rs 83,437= 50 np we had to also pay in paise then !

Petrol cost Re 0=53 naye paise in 1955 when my car was bought by its first owner.

In 1973, it cost Re 1.80 np ( plus /minus a few paise for transport/ octroi etc) and the oil cartel comprising the Arab nations came into being. The crude oil prices were jacked up overnight and the cost became Rs 3.15 np per litre.

That was the first ever oil shock for the world.

[travancore]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Were there other versions of the 54 Dodge also sold here aside from the Kingsway? I had no idea. What were the options?

Originally Posted by Bulldogji

Harit is correct, our car was the last in the showroom and discounted.
Interestingly in the picture, the wheel caps are different. Ours had Kingsway written across them and the centre was not so prominently domed. Maybe the car pictured is not a Kingsway??

The car shown in the advertisement could be a 1954 Dodge Coronet / Royal ? I do not know if they were sold in India.

[KPS]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Looking at some more ads, we can presume that in 1954 we had a choice of

Dodge Kingsway - Rs. 18,740
DeSoto Diplomat - Rs. 18,590
Plymouth Savoy - Rs. 18,590

(all prices ex-factory).

I am surprised that the DeSoto and Plymouth were priced identical - I was under the impression that the DeSoto was marketed as premium to the Plymouth, and price would have reflected so.

I am not surprised at all, Karl. All these cars were basically Plymouth P25 models. The front fender of the Plymouth and Desoto are the same, hence only the badging and grill needed to be changed. For the Dodge in addition to the grill and badging, the front fenders too needed to be changed.

Cheers

KPS

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by travancore

The car shown in the advertisement could be a 1954 Dodge Coronet / Royal ? I do not know if they were sold in India.

Attachment 1254919

I thought the Coronet was sold in 51/53, being replaced by the Kingsway in 54.

Originally Posted by KPS

I am not surprised at all, Karl. All these cars were basically Plymouth P25 models. The front fender of the Plymouth and Desoto are the same, hence only the badging and grill needed to be changed. For the Dodge in addition to the grill and badging, the front fenders too needed to be changed.

Correct, but the whole idea of badge engineering is to stagger pricing between two of the same models with a little cosmetic difference. Also sometimes some features differ, but essentially the same car.