Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012

1930 DELAGE D8 | Dr Ravi Prakash, Bangalore

Bangalore-based vintage and classic car collector, Dr Ravi Prakash, has flown this rare French sports tourer to Pebble Beach. The pride and joy of the former Maharaja Holkar of Indore, this Delage D8 carries coachwork by Figoni of Paris. It promises to be a great rival in style and look to the Mercedes-Benz SS that belonged to the Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir

Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012

Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012

1924 ROLLS-ROYCE 20 HP | Maharana of Udaipur

Among the innumerable vintage cars that light up the Mewar royal garage, is the 1924 Rolls-Royce 20 HP. Counted amongst one of the most original examples of its kind in the country, it was restored to its near-original condition by Arvind Singh Mewar, himself a connoisseur of classic cars. The RR 20 HP should be one of the highlights at the 17-mile tour d'Elegancethat will kickstart the festivities two days prior to the concours

Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012

Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012

1928 ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM 17EX | Alexander Schaufler, Austria

This is one of those cars that created a milestone in Rolls-Royce history. Created as part of a handful of 'experimental cars', it was built for a specific purpose by the British firm (hence the EX in the model designation) - to explore the idea of an all-new model to supercede its Silver Ghost limousine. Maharaja Hari Singh Bahadur who was a Rolls-Royce aficionado was sufficiently impressed to prevail upon the firm to sell it to him. It was against RR policy to sell any of their experimental models but then nobody would displease a patron who had purchased more than 25 cars from Rolls-Royce in a short span of time

Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012

1930 MERCEDES-BENZ 27/140/220PS TYPE SS SPORT | Mercedes-Benz Classic

It was at a motor show in Paris that the rakish lines of this sports car caught the fancy of Maharaja Hari Singh Bahadur of Jammu & Kashmir. However, since it was in left-hand drive, its makers took it back to Germany, changed the engine and the steering gear to the right-hand drive and shipped it to India. Like so many of its ilk, this car was also spirited out of India and passed through a host of collectors, till Daimler-Benz picked it up some five years ago. It was handed over to Mercedes-Benz Classic to be restored to its near-original form

Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012

Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012

1934 ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM II | Yuvraj Saheb Mandhatsinh Jadeja

Also called 'Star of India', this was once a prized possession of the Maharaja of Rajkot. Finished in saffron and brushed aluminium, and carrying coachwork by the famous coachbuilding firm, Thrupp & Maberley, it was the official limousine-cum-cabriolet for the Rajkot royals. Spirited out of India in the mid-1960 s, the descendants of the royal family got it back at an auction

Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012

Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012

Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012

1910 BROOKE SWAN CAR & 1919 CYGNET | The Louwman Museum, Holland

This one harks back to the various idiosyncracies displayed by our royalty. The Swan Car was created by a Calcutta-based Scotsman called Scotty Mathewson. He had picked up a Brooke 20/30 HP chassis and had it theatrically done up, complete with wooden coachwork, gold-lined filigree work and a big swan on the bonnet. The bird's nostrils would belch steam when Mathewson took it for a ride. It was on one such outing that the Maharaja of Nabha chanced upon it. Of course, he lost no time in buying it and soon commissioned his own garage personnel to build a smaller replica for his children. Thus came into being the Cygnet, a smaller, scaled-down version of the Brooke but with electrical power. It must be reiterated that this car was made in India - in Calcutta, to be precise! Both these carriers, along with a Rolls-Royce, were smuggled out of India in the 1990s, and after being auctioned, are now displayed in the Louwman Museum of Holland

Royal ride on the beach

Adil Jal Darukhanawala | August 18, 2012