Indian Royalty to roll at Pebble Beach

Dubbed as one of the highlights of the international automobile year, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance ranks as one among a handful of the great events for classic cars (two others being the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and the other being the Goodwood Festival of Speed). I have always been a great fan of Pebble Beach for the manner in which it celebrates great cars and this year there is even greater significance at this event because among its many classes is one for cars of the Maharajas!

While you may have already read this in an earlier issue of this magazine, we can tell you that among the 15 cars selected from collectors around the world; no less than four would be making the trip from India for this prestigious event! The glorious 1930 Stutz Series M dual cowl speedster with body by Le Baron, formerly the pride and joy of the Maharaja of Baria and now owned by Diljeet Titus will be part of the Indian quartet as also would be the 1930 Delage D8 featuring drop head coupe bodywork by Figoni. 

This distinctive Delage features cycle fenders and was originally ordered and used by Maharaja Yashwantraoji Holkar of Indore before it found its way to Bangalore-based collector Dr Ravi Prakash. The third car to go from India for this prestigious event is Amir Ali Jetha’s magnificent 1937 Phantom II Continental. It is recorded that only three Phantom II Continentals came to India, of which one is with a collector overseas and there is no trace of the third. Jetha’s PII, bearing chassis no. 62UK, has been clothed by J Gurney Nutting in a streamlined coupe body style and this car, formerly owned by the Maharaja of Jodhpur is sure to impress show goers on the greens of Pebble Beach.

However, it is the fourth car which will evoke the greatest interest because it goes with its owner who is a true-blue Indian royal befitting the title of the great kings. The car in question is that depicted above, a 1924 Rolls-Royce 20 H.P., featuring a Barker barrel body. Chassis number GLK21 was ordered by the Maharaja of Jodhpur who used it till 1935 before selling it to Seth Shri Motilal Sanghi of the same city. The latter is revered among the automobile dealer fraternity of the country as being one of the most knowledgeable and influential car importers and dealers in the era before independence in the Rajasthan region. He in turn sold it to Maharana Bhupal Singh Mewar of Udaipur who was very fond of Rolls-Royce Twentys and he presumably bought it to cannibalise it for spares!

Thankfully the car never did suffer this fate and it has been kept in exact standard config right thru, fettled by the mechanics in the royal garages which have now been converted to house the Vintage & Classic Car Collection of the Maharaja of Udaipur. This car will be piloted on the event by none other than the present Maharana Shreeji Arvind Singh Mewar-Udaipur and riding shotgun with His Highness would be his friend and classic car aficionado Bob Rupani. While there will be many other great Maharaja cars in attendance from collections abroad, it would be hard for the Duesenbergs, Minervas, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz and others to beat the potent patina of a genuine Maharaja Rolls with a Maharaja at the helm!