[travancore]

courtesy: "Winning in India"



Three trucks overland from Geneva to Bombay, 1955.

They were joined in Istanbul by D.R.D. Tata (JRD's brother)

[travancore]

courtesy: University of Chicago.





In Germany






Rajasthan and Jai Mahal Hotel, Jaipur

In July, 1956, two Ph.D students from Harvard made an overland trip from Austria to India.

[harit]

So as we see, there were so many folks who drove all the way from Europe to India, a few made the journey the other way round.
But the road network in India particularly in the interiors was just as challenging and interesting.
And so someone drove from Darjeeling to Sikkim in a Ford, the trip was reported in The Automobile Magazine of India in 1953. The full page is posted below.

Cheers harit

[KartikeyaL]

Originally Posted by KartikeyaL

Here is the story of Aloha Wanderwell, supposedly the worlds most widely travelled girl.

Some more pictures, courtesy the Detroit public Library, Digital collections.

Source

Aloha Baker and Walter Wanderwell with sailors in Calcutta, India. Car no. 3 parked in front of storefronts. Handwritten on back: "Compliments of the Navy. Calcutta, India, Sunday, June 29, 1924.

Aloha Baker and several men, some wearing sailor hats, posing with Wanderwell cars no. 2 and no. 3 in Calcutta, India. Wings of biplane visible in background. Handwritten on back: "July, 1924."

Aloha Baker posing with several unidentified men in front of Wanderwell car in India. Handwritten on back: "India, 1924."

View of bungalow with thatched roof in India. Member of Wanderwell expedition stands in foreground; car no. 3 parked next to dwelling. Handwritten on sleeve: "Dak bungalow, midway Bombay/Calcutta"

View of water buffalo towing car no. 2 across river in India. Handwritten on sleeve: "Car crossing river, 'in return for empty gas cans, they towed us across."

View of two trucks parked in front of building in India; sign on building: "Ford E.A.S.T. Co."

[harit]

Originally Posted by KartikeyaL

Here is the story of Aloha Wanderwell, supposedly the worlds most widely travelled girl........ Please visit this amazing website https://www.alohawanderwell.com/biography/
.........

Originally Posted by KartikeyaL

Some more pictures, courtesy the Detroit public Library, Digital collections.

Source

Many years ago (maybe 10) I got a lot of Parsi family albums, with a whole lot of car photos. They had also traveled the world, and there were pics of London, Germany, Austria with cars in them. And there was this pic which came in my hand today, it says "Vienna Wanderwell's car 13-7-28.
Thought it would fit nicely here in this thread.



Cheers harit

[karlosdeville]

I don't think I've posted these before, an overlanding Barndoor in India back in the day

[KartikeyaL]

More from the Wanderwall trip.

This is from Puri



Here is the trail of the 1921-25 expedition

[KPS]

Another great overland adventure from London to Singapore via India. Looks like the adventure was partly defeated in India

Back to 1928... feeling the failure of the 1st expedition, Francis Birtles set out in his trusted Bean 14 motor car for Singapore and Australia. The challenge of this route was the 60-odd hills in Burma.


Months after setting out from London he eventually arrived in Calcutta,


Toiling for over a month, the team of two dragged, pully'ed and pushed the Bean 14 car over the hills.


Source

Cheers

KPS

[KartikeyaL]

Originally Posted by KPS

Another great overland adventure from London to Singapore via India. Looks like the adventure was partly defeated in India

Cheers

KPS

Picture probably from India or Burma

[ashwin1224]

Originally Posted by harit

Many years ago (maybe 10) I got a lot of Parsi family albums, with a whole lot of car photos. They had also traveled the world, and there were pics of London, Germany, Austria with cars in them. And there was this pic which came in my hand today, it says "Vienna Wanderwell's car 13-7-28.
Thought it would fit nicely here in this thread.

Attachment 1689266

Cheers harit

Incredibly interesting! Can you share more?

[KPS]

The Thunder Dragon Rally 2015 started from Kolkata onward to Bhutan.

The cars arrived at Kolkata


The lead car was fittingly a Morris Oxford/Hindustan


By the famous Darjeeling Mountain Train


1939 Wills Overland on the Darjeeling mountain roads


More details and amazing pictures can be seen here


More highlights of the Rally

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HJRpCDeGdA

Cheers

KPS

[travancore]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------





Ford Anglia


Two travelogues, ca 1929 and 1951

[harit]

Another "Overlanding" story.

This is from the WIAA magazine of October 1957.





These guys did it as a trial for a planned commercial venture. Indian border controls troubled them. Not much changed since 1957.

Jokes apart, later towards the end of the 1960's and till mid 1970's buses did run between Europe, Goa, Khatmandu, the hippy trails. Private cars as well. These buses were often Magirus Deutz buses which had no valid road worthiness certificates and ran on German export plates. British buses also plied, as did private cars and gave rides in exchange for payment. Goans have seen hundreds of such vehicles.

Later a German firm toured India in huge red Mercedes buses with trailers, the firm was Rotel tours and they were sleeper coaches. Not seen them since long.

Cheers harit

[travancore]

An "Indiaman", ca 1976

[Stanher]

Hope these pics. are relevant to this thread- recently came across this interesting little brochure on ebay Australia, which I bought and received only today in the post, featuring two gents from Calcutta embarking on a "Non-stop motor run from AAB (Automobile Assn. of Bengal) to AAUI (Automobile Assn. of Upper India), Delhi, approx. 900 miles" in a then new 1955 Fiat 1100!
As per the log book, they started from AAB HQ, Ballygunje, Calcutta on the 5th of Feb. 1956 at 7.25 am, reaching AAUI HQ, Connaught Circus, Delhi at 3.32 am, on the 6th of Feb. 1956. A total of 895 Miles in 20 hrs, 7 min.

Incidentally, I was told that all old WB numbers ending with X were used for Govt. dept. vehicles, and often taken even by Govt. employees. The car looks lovely though, all the more with those period fog lamps and roof rack! 'wonder if this car or the gents are still around though- anyone who knows of them?
Also stated is that this car set a record that was broken by a larger (14 HP) car earlier. 'wonder what car that was.