[KPS]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

A 1905 Austin 5 was on display at a recently Hyderabad show.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/1887744-post25.html

Would a 1905 Austin have those electrical lights ? Any idea what is the originality percentage of this car?

If you read Wiki you will see that Austin started production in 1905 and the first car was a 5 litre, 4 Cyl., chain drive vehicle of which 200 were made in the first 5 years. In 1910-11 before WW1 some 7 HP cars were produced but I am not sure if this was sold commercially. It is unlike that a Austin 7 of 1910-11 vintage would have reached India ( I stand to be corrected)

It further says that in the quest for market share there was more focus on the small cars and in 1922 Austin 7 or 'Baby Austin" was introduced. We call the older Austin 7 as Chummy in India. Hence the oldest comercially sold small car would be 1922.

If I remember right the Chummy with Doc (Ex-Ravi Kumar) has a 3 digit chassis number which would be one of the earliest Austin 7 survivors in India.

The picture posted by Vintagepoint5 and the so called 1905 appear to be from the same period.

Here are the details from Wiki
Austin 7 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cheers

KPS

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by agspins

Nice find Karl, where are these cars displayed looks like bengal.Are those windscreens original ,radiator grill too looks borrowed from a Tata truck.Even one of the top looks jeep-ish.

Those cars are parked in BITM (Birla Industrial & Technological Museum) in Kolkata. I dont think there's much originality left in them. Just the skeletons put up to teach kids about "vintage car" .

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Perhaps this is the Humber in question?

Description reads

"Parked in a garage in the grounds of Rabindra Bharati University."

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Thanks Karl-should be the same car as was reported by the press earlier. Thats a nice find by you.This picture is quite clear.

Anjan, I expected you to catch the well, "catch" here! You see, Rabindranath's Humber is parked in Shantiniketan - which is Visva Bharati University, 250 kms from Kolkata. The car in the flickr pic is parked in Rabindra Bharati university, which is on BT road in Kolkata! How can the same car be parked in 2 different places, so far apart?

And btw, the flickr guy has really taken this pic in Rabindra Bharati University, as the subsequent pics in his album confirm. This is intriguing. Could the poet have owned 2 Humbers, now on display in 2 different univs dedicated to his name? Must visit RBU this weekend and check it out!

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Anjan, I expected you to catch the well, "catch" here! You see, Rabindranath's Humber is parked in Shantiniketan - which is Visva Bharati University, 250 kms from Kolkata. The car in the flickr pic is parked in Rabindra Bharati university, which is on BT road in Kolkata! How can the same car be parked in 2 different places, so far apart?

And btw, the flickr guy has really taken this pic in Rabindra Bharati University, as the subsequent pics in his album confirm. This is intriguing. Could the poet have owned 2 Humbers, now on display in 2 different univs dedicated to his name? Must visit RBU this weekend and check it out!

predatorwheelz Oh thats a real catch! The TOI featured this car as having been parked at Shantiniketan. I do not think the poet had two Humbers. Your visit to RBU may clear the picture.

[IndrojitSircar]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

predatorwheelz Oh thats a real catch! The TOI featured this car as having been parked at Shantiniketan. I do not think the poet had two Humbers. Your visit to RBU may clear the picture.

We do not need to even go that far. We have a member opn this forum who can help us with it. It is although certain that the car is in Shantiniketan but we can try and find out if there were two cars or one.

[mbz180]

Originally Posted by IndrojitSircar

We do not need to even go that far. We have a member opn this forum who can help us with it. It is although certain that the car is in Shantiniketan but we can try and find out if there were two cars or one.

Hi everyone,


I know for sure that when I visited the Visva Bharati University Museum in Santiniketan, an identical black Humber that belonged to Rabindranath Tagore (my great grand uncle) was on display. I think the car is late 1920's judging from the upright radiator and elegant formal coachwork. Don't remember the registration but I'm pretty sure that I saw this same car in Santiniketan. But then that was nearly 7 years back or so, so maybe they shifted the car to Rabindra Bharti University campus on BT Road (formerly "Emerald Bower", a country house of another branch of our family) in Kolkata. When I saw the car it looked pretty intact and original, right down to the interiors. I was even told that when a VIP would visit the museum in Santiniketan it would occasionally be started and the VIP would be taken for a joy ride of sorts but I can't verify this. So I think it's worth making a trip to BT Road RBU campus and seeing if the car is there or not, and if it is, we can ask the University authorities if the car came from Visva Bharati. If it did not, then perhaps the poet had 2 identical cars.

Regards
mbz180

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by mbz180

So I think it's worth making a trip to BT Road RBU campus and seeing if the car is there or not, and if it is, we can ask the University authorities if the car came from Visva Bharati. If it did not, then perhaps the poet had 2 identical cars.

Regards
mbz180

Well Prithvi, I don't know if the last line was meant as a satire , but guess what an internet search on the poet's Humber throws up?

QUOTE

a 1933 model Humber that was a favourite of the Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore. It was gifted to him by his son Rathindra Nath Tagore who purchased a pair in 1938 after his return from the United States, each of the cars was priced at around 400 pounds. One of these models was kept for the travel of the poet in his ancestral house in Kolkata and the other was taken to Vishwa Bharati. The poet would go around the campus in this vehicle. Since it was the only motorised vehicle in the area, it was a feast for everyone’s eyes.

UNQUOTE

I have no clue about the authenticity of the article, just a new viewpoint. Here's the link:

http://www.merinews.com/article/vint...e/141388.shtml

And about the visit to RBU, lets make it today evening, eh?

[IndrojitSircar]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Well Prithvi, I don't know if the last line was meant as a satire , but guess what an internet search on the poet's Humber throws up?

QUOTE

a 1933 model Humber that was a favourite of the Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore. It was gifted to him by his son Rathindra Nath Tagore who purchased a pair in 1938 after his return from the United States, each of the cars was priced at around 400 pounds. One of these models was kept for the travel of the poet in his ancestral house in Kolkata and the other was taken to Vishwa Bharati. The poet would go around the campus in this vehicle. Since it was the only motorised vehicle in the area, it was a feast for everyone’s eyes.

UNQUOTE

I have no clue about the authenticity of the article, just a new viewpoint. Here's the link:

Vintage Humber of Nobel Laureate Tagore

And about the visit to RBU, lets make it today evening, eh?

The plot is getting thicker. By the way he needs to be in calcutta to go today evening .

[karlosdeville]

A friend saw this Amby taxi on display at Prague airport, advertising Emirates flights to India.







My guess is its a 'Karma Kab' - a few were run as novelty taxis in the UK with identical interiors. It is fitted with a Mk 1 grille and bumpers.

[chanu]

Recently I've been to Mysore, Karnataka in my Palio 1.2 I was throughly enjoying the drive to the fullest, car was delivering sheer joy, after doing around 150 kms felt to have a coffee break and were looking for resturants and found this...

entire joy of the trip got dampened, heart felt heavy and tears rolled out though I hide them. Thought the car is saved rather getting chiseled but whats the fun it's going to die a slow death. One day I guess the car will break apart into two because of the wall in between which will allow rust below to form.

This car is the same which I wanted to buy before I brought Appu (delight) but, all of a sudden gone missing from the city this car was also showcased in T-Bhp somewhere.

Couldn't see the car hanging on the wall gave another offer to the resturant owner but no use. I could see 90% of original stuff on the car still intact. Felt frustrated when the wall is running between the center light and the grille, Oh! got the Italian beauty diying a slow death.

Then Anarkali today this beauty....to my eyes it's the same mercilessness.

[deutscheafrikar]

Saw this resting on a float at Panjim last Saturday...

[Foxbat]

A vintage fire engine on display in front of the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad.
I forgot the make and model....

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

A vintage fire engine on display in front of the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad.
I forgot the make and model....

This is a 1940's Commer Superpoise. Looks quite original in its outward looks.Commer trucks were manufactured by the Rootes Group,UK that also made Hillman,Humber,Singer,Talbot and Sunbeam cars and Commer and Karrier trucks.
The design cues of this truck match with the 1940's Hillman Minx Phase II and even some of the Singer and Humber models from the 1940's. It is easily identified as their elder sibling.

Source Google images

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

A vintage fire engine on display in front of the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad.
I forgot the make and model....

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

This is a 1940's Commer Superpoise. Looks quite original in its outward looks.Commer trucks were manufactured by the Rootes Group,UK that also made Hillman,Humber,Singer,Talbot and Sunbeam cars and Commer and Karrier trucks.

I'd been seeing this fire-engine for years since I was a kid! It was parked for atleast a couple of decades in the corner of a fire-shed owned by a local Scientific Institute that I used to pass by almost every day and I remember it was running when I first saw it in the late 80s. They also had a Bedford fire-engine and a Fargo pick-up truck that sadly both ended up rotting by the roadside a decade ago and wouldve been scrapped.
Thankfully this fire-engine was preserved even though in disuse. It was moved out when the shed was being demolished during the road-widening in that area a couple off years ago. Last I saw it the paint had been totally scraped off and then primered. It'd later been featured in this 'restored' state in a local telugu paper article following its entry into the museum but the make wasnt mentioned. 'tried hard trying to figure it out. 'glad to know that now thanks to you, anjan! It seems to suffer a little neglect now though, besides being parked open to the elements! I hope the museum take good care of it! 'must go see it sometime.

[karlosdeville]

A 2 door Fiat 508 is on display at a resort in Kanha, MP

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post2381023 (A Nikon D5000 in the land of the tiger - Kanha National Park visit.)

[karlosdeville]

This article appeared in today's Pune Mirror. Should be interesting to see, I shall check it out when I can.