Rolls Royce In India

[PAV8427]

Many years ago I read where a gentleman had found a WWII British fighter at a university in India. And restored said fighter. The article mentioned that he found it when he was tagging along with some friends who heard there where a couple? Pre war Rolls Royces in the basement of a university in India(New Delhi)?

I have always loved a good story. 
Does anyone here happen to know if this is based on truth?  
 

Thanks. Doug

[edinmass]

There is an Indian pre war car website, and they could easily answer your questions. They have a Rolls thread. People there are very friendly and knowledgeable, but understand clearly............. that culture  expects common courtesy, please and thank you, and formal greetings and goodbyes. It’s a different culture than ours so if you go there just try to be as polite as possible. Best, Ed

 

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/pre-war/

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

I knew a fellow in the antique motorcycle world from India. He said they have a law that anything pre - such n such date (may have been 1960?) is illegal to export from the country. He said he had hundreds of motorcycles there but could not get them out of the country. Said some people resort to dismantling and sending vehicles overseas 1 piece at a time. I had no reason not to believe him.

[edinmass]

I have been told similar information. When the 540K and the Duesenberg got out.........they clamped down on important exports for history and cultural reasons. There as a fair amount of cool stuff there, and I work with several collectors finding parts, and once even fixed a car at Pebble that came in from New Delhi. 60 percent of ALL pre war Rolls Royce cars and Bentleys were sold in India......the largest market in the world for them for many years.

 

 

Look through the threads on the link I posted, there are lots of early photos there. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[alsancle]

24 minutes ago, edinmass said:

There is an Indian pre war car website, and they could easily answer your questions. They have a Rolls thread. People there are very friendly and knowledgeable, but understand clearly............. that culture  expects common courtesy, please and thank you, and formal greetings and goodbyes. It’s a different culture than ours so if you go there just try to be as polite as possible. Best, Ed

 

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/pre-war/

 

 

 

 

 

Ed, you are saying they frown on newbies asking obscure questions with little information provided and then disappearing when questioned?

 

Sounds like we need some of their culture here.

[JV Puleo]

Up through the late 60s or early 70s a lot of cars ad motorcycles were exported. I once had a 1938 R66 BMW that had been sold new in India - completely fitted with British electrical parts. The fellow I got it from, a good friend, bought half a dozen early British bikes that way. But, since then it has been illegal to export any car or bike over a certain age - certainly all the pre-war cars included. There are a lot of RR's there, including some of the earliest Ghosts. As Ed has said, the Indian market probably kept RR going through the depression.

[PAV8427]

This is the article where it mentions not only Rolls Royce , but Bentleys also. http://www.hurricaneheritage.com/about/restoration 

 

[8E45E]

4 hours ago, TAKerry said:

I knew a fellow in the antique motorcycle world from India. He said they have a law that anything pre - such n such date (may have been 1960?) is illegal to export from the country. He said he had hundreds of motorcycles there but could not get them out of the country. Said some people resort to dismantling and sending vehicles overseas 1 piece at a time. I had no reason not to believe him.

The Brooke 'Swan Car', which is now in the Louman Museum in Holland was apparently smuggled out of India.  Brooke 25/30-HP Swan Car | Louwman Museum

 

Craig

[edinmass]

They should send it back.......freight collect. 
 

 

Sorry about that.............but the comment seems justified.

Edited July 27, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[alsancle]

7 hours ago, edinmass said:

They should send it back.......freight collect. 
 

 

Sorry about that.............but the comment seems justified.

 

Was that 2018 that they were all at Pebble?   Not my cup of tea either.

[edinmass]

Yes.

[TAKerry]

That swan car is Awesome!  Brings new meaning to the term 'only one at the show'. 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Swan car aside, I spent about 45 minutes perusing the link Ed provided last night, interesting, different reading on quite a few cars.  Not a crate motor discussion anywhere I looked, either. 😉

[Ed Luddy]

On 7/26/2021 at 6:47 PM, edinmass said:

There is an Indian pre war car website, and they could easily answer your questions. They have a Rolls thread. People there are very friendly and knowledgeable, but understand clearly............. that culture  expects common courtesy, please and thank you, and formal greetings and goodbyes. It’s a different culture than ours so if you go there just try to be as polite as possible. Best, Ed

 

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/pre-war/

 

Good advice ED!