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-   -   Vintage & Classic Hard-Top Coupes in India (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vintage-cars-classics-india/175810-vintage-classic-hard-top-coupes-india.html)

Vintage and Classic Hard Top Coupe's have always fascinated most, especially in India, since there are so few of them. The cabriolet or convertible coupes are more common in India. However in this thread we will focus on the hard top type only

Globally coupes are significantly more valuable than the four door sedans. The Coupes have an unbeatable sporty look and they easily catch the eye.

How do you define a coupe and what are the different types of hard top coupes?

Wiki defines as
Hence the key points are

1. Closed Two Door
2. Fixed Roof
3. Shorter than a sedan
4. Two Seater or restricted seating at the back

Over a period of time, added to the above list, have been coupes which have similar rear seating as the four door sedans, but have a sporty or fastback kind of rear.

The different types of fixed roof Coupes include

1. Business Coupe - This type of cars has no rear seat or has a removable rear seat, to allow for a salesman to keep their things in the car. The cars had a large boot to be accessed from out side
2. Sport Coupe - In these cars, your interior luggage space will have to be accessed from behind the seats
3. Club Coupe - The club coupe had a large rear seat similar to the four door sedan
4. Sports Coupe - These are two door hard top with a sloping roof like a fastback
5. Four Door Coupe - These are later model four door sedans with coupe like proportions, basically low roof models, giving it a sporty look.

The vintage coupes were also called three window or five window coupe based on the number of windows. The five windows coupes, have a larger roof which housed a parcel tray behind the seats.

Before we can look at the collection of pictures on vintage and classic hard top coupes in India, I would like to cover two special cars.


One will not dare to call these two great cars as coupe, though they meet the definition, namely two door, fixed roof, shorter cars, as these are specially bodied cars for the Maharaj's. The beauty of these cars will surely wet your appetite for the coupes to follow

First is the beautiful Jaipur Bentley




Followed by the wonderful Ex-Jodhpur Rolls Royce P1




Harit had posted a Lincoln Coupe in the nostalgia thread. Probably the oldest known photograph of a Coupe in India.


More to follow

Cheers


KPS

Here are pictures of beautiful vintage and classic hard top coupes in India.

Please note that the pictures are from this Forum, so credits to the original owners of the respective posts. Special thanks to Karl's as many of the pictures are from his numerous posts. Kasli owns two the Coupes featured here, so thanks to him.

This is a 1950 Ford Custom, probably the only known Business Coupe from Mumbai, owned my Bhpian Amal.




This is a 1935 Plymouth PJ Sport Coupe from Odisha, last seen in the Stateman Rally at Kolkata.


Here is 1930ish Ford A Sport Coupe. This body is also known as a five window coupe. Not the original body, but built to specifications at Jaipur.



This is a fantastic 1941 Lincoln Club Coupe from Pune



Kasli's beautiful 1946 Packard Clipper Sports Coupe, 6 cylinder. Notice the beautiful fastback rear



She currently sports a new colour scheme


One year later to Kasli's is this beautiful 1947 Packard Clipper Sports Coupe, 8 cylinder. She is also in Mumbai


Cheers

KPS

More Club Coupes

Kasli's 1947 Studebaker in Mumbai





This wonderful 1955 Studebaker Commander, originally from Bangalore. First owner was an aeronautical engineer working in HAL.



1956 Chevrolet Bel Air from Delhi



This is a beautiful Mercedes W111 from Goa



Harit's W114 in Mumbai


1968 Buick Skylark



1963 Alfa



Cheers

KPS

Does anyone know the provenance of the Lincoln Coupe ? Thanks

Thanks for posting these. Any idea if the Alfa is still around?

Nice new thread, after a long time new thoughts.clap:

In the pics above, and the text, there are some points confusing. Every 2-door car is not a coupe, we had 2-door sedans and 2-door coupes of the same type of car. To differentiate, check out this golden colored Coupe vs this red colored 2-door sedan. There is an appreciable difference. The golden one is in India.









Then, there is a photo of my black Merc 114 CE. Behind it in the photo partially seen is one of the best looking gorgeous monstrous coupe's, the 1959 Dodge Custom Royal. Currently under restoration.



The blue Alfa Romeo is one of 3 Alfa's is currently a part of a collection in Bangalore. Very much in existence.

Would a Fiat 500 and a Fiat 600 also qualify?

Cheers harit

:OT One observation:
Whether DUSTER photo do justice to the topic of this thread, not sure!

Mods: Its my personal opinion, please delete if it is inappropriate.

Thanks.

Was this first owner KennethAnderson ? He had a studebaker and he was with HAL Bangalore

A Plymouth Duster? Why not? :)

Makes me wonder. Would there be one in India?

Is this Kenneth Anderson the same as the author of "Black Panther of Sivanipalli"? I didn't know he was with HAL Bangalore.

I did not pursue the matter further (there being no internet those days - late sixties/early seventies, as a college student) but had often wondered what happened to him. Fine author.

Appears to be the same person per Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Anderson_(writer)

You learn something new every day!

You said it! I followed the Wikipedia link and yes, its him alright. The bibliography lists his other books too - all of which I haven't read. I hope to add them to the library. And it was nice to know that he stayed on in India, after 1947. I wish Jim Corbett had done so too, instead of moving to Kenya - he was a deeply revered man in the Kumaon Terai during his lifetime.

Single owner 1966 Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia coupé from Delhi

Here is 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV from Mumbai. This car is in regular use and much loved by the owner




Cheers

KPS