[Anwesh]

Around 1990/91 a XK was laying by the roadside, rotting away near Sasoon docks, Mumbai. I recently asked my friend who had his office nearby at that time about it's fate and he informed me that it was rescued by some collector. Any information on that one?

Happy Motoring,

[karlosdeville]

Chanced upon this image of actor Feroze Khan posing with an XK (I assume 120). If I remember right a red one featured in one of his movies, perhaps this is a still from the same movie.

[KartikeyaL]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Chanced upon this image of actor Feroze Khan posing with an XK (I assume 120). If I remember right a red one featured in one of his movies, perhaps this is a still from the same movie.

More pictures different poses

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Chanced upon this image of actor Feroze Khan posing with an XK (I assume 120). If I remember right a red one featured in one of his movies, perhaps this is a still from the same movie.

Attachment 1655897

Originally Posted by KartikeyaL

More pictures different poses

Wow, thanks for these!

Originally Posted by John Elmgreen

Here are details of all XKs sold new in India. All contributions welcome as to their histories and where they are now! Colours are body, trim and hood, date is factory despatch date, HD means delivered directly from the works to the buyer in UK, to the order of the Indian distributor - John Elmgreen

XK120 OTS rhd:
French Motor Co, Calcutta
660977, Suede Green, Suede Green, French Grey, May 52 HD, nothing known except that the car is in the UK.

From the list kindly shared earlier, and the regn number now visible in these photos, we can make a guess that it is car 660977, now in the UK.

On the other hand, we have seen Feroze Khan in the 1971 movie 'Ek Paheli' with a similar car in red, with 2 different registration numbers BMC 8479 and MRZ 5825 (which could easily have been 2 different cars!).

The plot thickens.

[karlosdeville]

An update to this thread after a long time. Came across this negative showing a superb lineup of 3 XKs, race ready and apparently on a racetrack (Juhu?)

The cars shown are (L-R)
BMU 2944 - #660798 - survives in Bombay.
BMU 1259 - #660728 - survives in Jaipur.
BMZ 7235 - unknown to me. Over to the experts

[travancore]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

An update to this thread after a long time. Came across this negative showing a superb lineup of 3 XKs, race ready and apparently on a racetrack (Juhu?)

Thanks Karl! What is the beauty hiding in the background on the left (Riley perhaps)?

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by travancore

Thanks Karl! What is the beauty hiding in the background on the left (Riley perhaps)?

Yes, it is indeed a Riley saloon. Also in the picture are a couple of very cool forward control vans, one for Firestone (race support?) and one advertising Kodak Films & Cameras. A 40s American car in the back advertises Pineapple soda

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

An update to this thread after a long time. Came across this negative showing a superb lineup of 3 XKs, race ready and apparently on a racetrack (Juhu?)

The cars shown are (L-R)
BMU 2944 - #660798 - survives in Bombay.
BMU 1259 - #660728 - survives in Jaipur.
BMZ 7235 - unknown to me. Over to the experts

While going through older posts on this thread, I noticed this line from John about the Hoosein car in Bombay.

660798 – XK120 roadster – originally Black with Biscuit & Red trim, Black hood, delivered in the UK in 1951 to a buyer to the order of Garware Motors, Bombay. Owned there by John Warden of Bombay. Sold in 1952 through Garwares to Habib Hoosein of Bombay. In 1954 it won a couple of trophies, raced by Peter Heilbron at Juhu airport, Bombay (the car was then white). In the same race were other XK120s raced by Norshir Saher and D.P. Pandole. Still with the family, in the hands of Nazir Hoosein. Regd BMU2944

It mentions that in one of the Juhu races there were 2 other XK120s, raced by Noshir Saher and D P Pundole. Now I had recently posted a negative of 3 Bombay registered XKs racing, one is the Hoosein car and one is the Aundh car now in Jaipur. The third is unidentified by me. We have seen earlier in the thread that Saher's car is the second alloy bodied car 660029.

So to summarise,

BMU 2944 - #660798 - John Warden, Hoosein.
BMU 1259 - #660728 - Mrs. V P Bandini, Aundh, Thakker, Jaipur. Also seems to have been raced by D Pandole. Incidentally Pandole also owned a pre A Porsche 356, as well as the Bristol 400.
BMZ 7235 - very likely to be Noshir Saher's car, #660029 (since the regn is BMZ, older to BMU).

[travancore]

Originally Posted by terry mcgrath

Is anyone able to shed light on who Master Habib Husein is and where the picture was taken

Garware Motors Ltd., Bombay, advised Jaguar Cars in January 1955 that an XK120 had won a race and two trophies. The owner of the car was advised as Master Habib Husein but he appears to have been too young to have raced it. The photograph shows Peter Heilbron and Master Habib Husein,

B

Another shot of BMU-2944 with Peter Heilbron, who at the time was with Kodak in Bombay.

[karlosdeville]

Came across 2 XKs in the movie 'Bhoot Bangla'

The first is an XK150 drophead, with large trumpet horns mounted on the fenders, and a luggage rack on the boot.





The other is an XK120 OTS.










Unfortunately the registration number is not visible for both cars.

[John Elmgreen]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Wow, thanks for these!



From the list kindly shared earlier, and the regn number now visible in these photos, we can make a guess that it is car 660977, now in the UK.

On the other hand, we have seen Feroze Khan in the 1971 movie 'Ek Paheli' with a similar car in red, with 2 different registration numbers BMC 8479 and MRZ 5825 (which could easily have been 2 different cars!).

The plot thickens.

The car has early sidelights (chromed) and no original vents in the sides of the front mudguards - therefore it is a right hand drive XK120 roadster with a chassis number after 600058 and before 660675. Also it has unusual vents in the front of the front mudguards (like a Mk II Jaguar) which are distinctive. The registration plate is WBE7687. However, I still cannot identify which XK120 this is by chassis number. If anyone else can help, that would be great!

[karlosdeville]

If we go through older posts in this thread we see 2 cars with those strange auxiliary grilles added near the headlights - can we safely assume this was a local mod job, and that both cars are the same? The MHH car survives in a private collection.




It does seem to add up, since the MHH car was bought from a Calcutta based collector.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

If we go through older posts in this thread we see 2 cars with those strange auxiliary grilles added near the headlights - can we safely assume this was a local mod job, and that both cars are the same? The MHH car survives in a private collection.

Attachment 1918084


It does seem to add up, since the MHH car was bought from a Calcutta based collector.

The XK120 in the image above with Feroze Khan is likely to be 660284, delivered new to Reliance Madras.

[harit]

Originally Posted by Anwesh

Around 1990/91 a XK was laying by the roadside, rotting away near Sasoon docks, Mumbai...........,

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

If we go through older posts in this thread we see 2 cars with those strange auxiliary grilles added near the headlights - can we safely assume this was a local mod job, and that both cars are the same? The MHH car survives in a private collection. [ATTACH=khan.JPG] It does seem to add up, since the MHH car was bought from a Calcutta based collector.

I missed seeing the post of Anwesh, I would have replied. The color of the car he would have seen was probably red at that time. It was the Morris 10/6. It was subsequently rescued and after a few stop-overs is now in South India.

But there were a couple of cars lying near the Docks near Tata Oil Mills, and among them were two XK's, a black and a white one, those were Vohra's cars of ehich the black one is now in that private collection. The photo in Karl's post is mine taken by me over there. The car on the right is a 20HP RR, and on the left a PIII RR.

Cheers harit

[Anwesh]

Originally Posted by harit

I missed seeing the post of Anwesh, I would have replied. The color of the car he would have seen was probably red at that time. It was the Morris 10/6. It was subsequently rescued and after a few stop-overs is now in South India.



Cheers harit

Harit,

I just called my friend, who had his office nearby at that time. He also confirmed that it was a Jaguar. We are far from being experts, but that grill is unmistakable.
The car was laying exactly opposite the gate of Gujrat Fisheries Central Co-operative. That premise later on housed Feroze & Co. Onlooker Press was nearby.
According to my friend, the car was later taken away by the vintage car association. My guess is someone from WIAA bought it and took her away. We have charitable institutions that rescue abandoned children and animals, but not cars.

Mentioned all this trivia as it may help your sleuthing.

Cheers and Merry Christmas to all

Anwesh