[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by harit

A Rolls seen on the net, supposed to be an Udaipur car.

Yes, I remember it as an Udaipur P1, and pics are there more than once in this thread much earlier.

Originally Posted by desertfox

It has CD plates, belongs to some consulate or diplomatic corps ?

The CD registration is a period English registration the car must have probably got when it returned to Europe.

Incidentally often collectors go out of their way to reissue the original number the car was delivered with - a possibility in most of the western world.

[kasli]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Yes, I remember it as an Udaipur P1, and pics are there more than once in this thread much earlier.

The CD registration is a period English registration the car must have probably got when it returned to Europe.

Incidentally often collectors go out of their way to reissue the original number the car was delivered with - a possibility in most of the western world.

Rifles again ! This is also a Shikar wanna be , did the Maharajahs hunt their occupants

Cheers

[travancore]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Yes, I remember it as an Udaipur P1, and pics are there more than once in this thread much earlier.

Karlos is right, ex-Udaipur Phantom I; Chassis 100-EF

Interesting info from royalcarsofudaipur.org:

Bought for Rs.45933, Anna 8 and 1 Paisa (GBP 1850 on Chassis card)
Gifted to Shri. Gopalji Mohita Jan 15, 1950

Current owner seems to be Christopher van Essen, a Cambridge Professor

and yes, 2 gun clips with wells between the extra seats was part of the original specification!

pic courtesy of royalcarsofudaipur / Dr. Christopher van Essen:

[desertfox]

In some of their vintage cars in Udaipur, HH The Maharaja Udaipur still retains his Udaipur state plate.

I went there once a couple of years ago while I had some time in hand travelling back from Kota, catching a flight to Delhi from Udaipur airport.

[karlosdeville]

Attached are some details of a 1908 Silver Ghost, apparently chassis number '970'.





Have we record of this car in the past?

[kasli]

I dont think this car is covered and thanks for sharing

Cheers

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Attached are some details of a 1908 Silver Ghost, apparently chassis number '970'.

Attachment 1109813

Attachment 1109814

Have we record of this car in the past?

[karlosdeville]

Kasli shared this gem. Some lovely period pictures.

Doc - 19-Jul-2013 11-37 AM.pdf

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Don't think I have seen this advertisement on the forum. Quite an interesting one at that.

Rolls Royce established their Kashmere Gate dealership in 1919 / 1920 in order to make it convenient for customers from the north to be able to get their cars serviced:

Attachment 1061153

And here's a colour advertisement for Rolls Royce Bombay:

[harit]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

And here's a colour advertisement for Rolls Royce Bombay:


Attachment 1123123

Very nice. The premisis, then and as now, can be seen on page 121 post #1807 . Kemps Corner may have been renamed later, and the fly-over did not exist. Hughes Road, and Cumbala Hill fit the address.

Cheers harit

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by vagu

Registration Number: DS 7695
Chassis Number: GAJ 81
As the Maharajas lost power in the British Raj, they became increasingly hooked to the trappings of power of the Western world. Major western purveyors of luxury goods from Cartier to Louis Vuitton to Rolls-Royce became their personal catalogue houses, as the princes adopted western dress and ways of living.

Motor cars were an extravagance that enriched the car manufacturers, in particular Rolls-Royce; regarded as the finest manufacturer, with luxury cars given as gifts and in trousseaus.

Purchased new in 1927 by the Maharaja of Burdwan (a region of Bengal, India) as a wedding gift for his son, this fine open tourer by Hooper is most original, retaining the original aluminium body work over an ash frame and all original instruments on a polished aluminium dashboard. GAJ 81 was subsequently purchased in 1958 by Mr Whittingham, an American and driven overland to Genoa, Italy. Photographs and correspondence of the trip included in the comprehensive history file show the car navigating rivers aboard rafts and crossing deserts in Afghanistan. GAJ 81 was shipped to New York from Genoa and was then driven across the States to Mr Whittingham‘s home in Los Angeles, California.

Coys

Mr. Whittingham's son chanced upon this post and has kindly written in, sharing some priceless anecdotes on the history of the car - his father having bought it in the late 1950s and driven it to Italy!

Hopefully, at some future date I may be able to forward copies of some of the many 35mm phtographs that were taken on this journey but since my father passed away recently I have yet to unearth them. I have continued my research into the recent history of this vehicle and have discovered it was auctioned by Bonham's in 2009 and a year or two later by Coy's but have no further details.

From my deteriorating and unassisted memory, I will, however, attempt to present a nutshell version of the trip my family - my father and mother and a younger brother - made in this astounding vehicle. In late June of 1958 my father purchased the car from a family in Calcutta and the first week in July we departed on our way to New Delhi towing a small luggage trailer with personal effects and camping supplies. After New Delhi we made a side trip to Kashmir and returned to the Punjab area and Amritsar. We then crossed into Pakistan and visited with my father's aunt who was a visiting professor of astronomy at the university of Lahore. Next it was on to Peshawer and through the Khyber Pass to Kabul. In Afganistan we followed the northern route sometimes covering no more than fifity to sixty miles in a day. This part of the journey took us to the Bamiyan Valley and along the Russian border to Mazarisharif and on to Herat. Then it was into Iran along the southern shore of the Caspian Sea and south to Tehran before departing for the Turkish border near Mt. Ararat. Crossing Turkey we visited Ankara and Istanbul and then into Greece and on to Athens. From Athens we ferried across to Brindisi, Italy and continued to Naples and Rome before heading north to Genoa where we boarded a passenger freighter bound for New York. Reaching New York we departed immediately fro Los Angeles and arrived home on the 26 December 1958, about one week shy of six months after leaving Jamshedpour.

During the entire trip this vehicle never faltered and received only minor servicing in New Delhi and Rome. The electric starter (original ?) was the only mechanical victim and a hand crank was used exclusively soon after leaving New Delhi.

It is astounding that the only problem encountered in six months of cross country driving was the starter! Thanks again to David Whittingham for sharing with us.

[travancore]

From "Motorsport" December 1931:

[travancore]

Here is a little bit of clarification regarding moralfibre's magnificent picture of a R-R being used as an airport hack.

At least now, the location is certain; if not the identity of the car - I stick to Nanpara 6YC.

courtesy of Motorsport, April 1964

[travancore]

Here is one courtesy of The Dailymail.

Is that Licence plate for real ? Looks like it is.

Car is probably Silver Wraith WTA47.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by travancore

Here is a little bit of clarification regarding moralfibre's magnificent picture of a R-R being used as an airport hack.

At least now, the location is certain; if not the identity of the car - I stick to Nanpara 6YC.

courtesy of Motorsport, April 1964

Well caught, as always!

Originally Posted by travancore

Here is one courtesy of The Dailymail.

Is that Licence plate for real ? Looks like it is.

Car is probably Silver Wraith WTA47.

Looks genuine enough, but colour photo means it could be a recent shot? I was under the impression the UP32 white car in Jaipur was WTA47...

[KPS]

Well, well, the Kotah Tiger Car with enough weaponry to blow a mountain into a mole hill is now in Las Vegas and appears to be for sale.















Cheers

KPS