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Classic Drive from D
erby to Udaipur to P
ebble Beach and...Continues
MMHPTMAPIN
ANu VIkrAM SINgH (AVS) of Karjali is the
Keeper of the Vintage and Classic Car Collection
(VCCC) at The City Palace, Udaipur. AVS has
been actively associated with VCCC for the last
20 years—from its inception to the present. His
unbridled enthusiasm for vintage cars, their working and upkeep has
made him a knowledgeable expert in the field, under the guidance
of Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar. AVS and his dedicated team developed
various in-house restoration methods in the workshop at the Garden
Hotel, Udaipur. With his many years in the field of restoration and
constant interactions with renowned restorers, car enthusiasts and with
highly-skilled engineers, he has honed his skills and built a formidable
reputation. Restoring vintage and classic cars remains his core
competence and passion.
NArAyAN ruPANI, now better known as Bob,
belongs to the pioneering lot of Indian automotive
journalists starting with the Indian Auto Journal in
1986. Over the years, he has also been the executive
editor of magazines such as Car & Bike International, auto motor und sport (India), BBC TopGear (India). He is presently the
managing editor of Auto India. Rupani has also authored the critically
acclaimed book Driving Holidays in India. Rupani has participated in
several races and rallies with fair success. He has been part of the only
Indian team ever to have participated in the Isuzu Challenge Expedition.
Rupani is also a founder jury member of the prestigious ICOTY (Indian Car
of the Year) Award and was Chairman of the jury in 2008 and again in 2012.
gAuTAM SeN began his career in 1984, with
Maruti Udyog. In 1986, Sen switched industries
and launched India’s first news stand car magazine,
Indian Auto, as founding editor. In 1992, Sen joined
the Business India Group, launching Auto India in
1993 and continues to edit it. Sen’s other books include The Maharajas & Their Magnificent Motor Cars, The Car Design Book and Rolls-Royce 17EX—A Fabulous Destiny.
Classic Drive from Derby to Udaipur to Pebble Beach and...Continues
This book is about a Royal Rolls-Royce of Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Seldom has a car lived such a life.
The 1924 Barker bodied Tourer Rolls-Royce 20 HP (chassis no. GLK 21) was
purchased by His Highness Maharana Bhupal Singh of Udaipur in 1936. She
was procured primarily to serve as a source of spare parts for another Rolls-
Royce 20 HP (chassis no. 42 GO) owned by the princely state of Udaipur
(Mewar) which was a favourite of Maharana Bhupal Singh.
Soon after RR GLK 21 arrived in the Palace Motor Garage at Udaipur, her
engine was removed and fitted in RR 42 GO. Then World War II happened
and RR GLK 21—the car that this book is devoted to—got entwined in
history and became victim to the ravages of time. From the 1940s to the end
of the last millennium, a period of almost 60 years, she lay almost forgotten
in the Zenana Mahal in the City Palace, Udaipur.
It was only in 1999 that Shriji Arvind Singh of Mewar decided to have her
restored. After a restoration process that took around eight years, RR GLK
21 was finally resurrected and assumed pride of place in the Udaipur Palace
Motor Garage. It was as if RR GLK 21, the Rolls-Royce 20 HP that had
been bought purely as a Christmas tree to source spares was now making a
miraculous comeback by ‘rising from the ashes like a phoenix’.
The irony is that now it is RR GLK 21 that is getting all the attention and
acclaim. She has been the star at several prestigious events and has received
extensive coverage in both the print and electronic media.
As these words are being penned, the magnificent lady is returning home
over the high seas, proud and triumphant in her glorious achievement of
Classic Drive frClassic Drive frClassic Dr omive fromive fr DomDom eDeD rberbe yrbyrb to Udarb to Udarby to Udayrbyrb to Udarbyrb ipur to Udaipur to Uda toPebble Bea
Rolls Royce GLK 21 Final.indd 4-5 31/07/12 11:56 AM
Rolls Royce GLK 21 Final.indd 4-5 31/07/12 11:56 AM
Classic Drive frClassic Drive frClassic Dr omive fromive fr DomDom eDeD rberbe yrbyrb to Udarb to Udarby to Udayrbyrb to Udarbyrb ipur to Udaipur to Uda toPebble Bea
mAhArAnA meWAr hiStoriCAl publiCAtionS truSt in ASSoCiAtion With mApin publiShing
Rolls Royce GLK 21 Final.indd 6-7 31/07/12 11:56 AM
Classic Drive frClassic Drive frClassic Dr omive fromive fr DomDom eDeD rberbe yrbyrb to Udarb to Udarby to Udayrbyrb to Udarbyrb ipur to Udaipur to Uda toPebble Bea
Facing page:maharana bhupal Singh, who had purchased the rolls-royce tourer 20 hp glk 21Accession no. 2008.06.045
Rolls Royce GLK 21 Final.indd 20-21 31/07/12 11:57 AM
2322
A line-up of the cars at Wimbledon, england, in June 1925. third from left: 1924 rr tourer 20 HP GLK 21, Coachwork by Barkerphoto courtesy: J.m. Fasal
Folloling pagel:A fleet of new Rolls-Royces and Vauxhalls ordered by maharaja of Jodhpur in 1924 and photographed in Wimbledon in June 1925. Fourth from left: 1924 rr tourer 20 hp GLK 21, Coachwork by Barkerphoto courtesy: J.m. Fasal
Seth Shri Motilalji Sanghi of M/s Sanghi motors, Jodhpur, india, was a pioneer in importing cars to india.
the Sanghi motors showroom at Jodhpur
Fateh Singh’s successor, Maharana Bhupal Singh’s favourite RR was a 1922 Tourer 20 HP (chassis
no. 42 GO) that he purchased in 1925 for Rs 15,551 (a little over $250 at 2012 exchange rates).
Maharana Bhupal Singh purchased many more Rolls-Royces, but RR 42 GO remained his favourite.
He went for a drive in it almost daily and also used it on ceremonial occasions when it was flanked
by colourfully decorated elephants and horses and surrounded by a mass of people. Some old-
timers even say ‘the animals were better behaved in the presence of silent Rolls-Royces than other
makes of cars’! Those were the days of great pomp and pageantry in ‘Princely India’ and elephants
and horses adorned with pure gold jewellery and precious stones began to run shoulders with the
With the passage of time and extensive usage, the RR 42 GO began to require some maintenance
work. But spares were not easy to procure so the State of Udaipur (Mewar) in 1936 purchased a 1924
Barker bodied Tourer 20 HP (chassis no. GLK 21). This car was originally ordered by the Maharaja
of the neighbouring state of Jodhpur. It was purchased from him by one of India’s pioneering car
importers and dealers, Seth Shri Motilal Sanghi, also of Jodhpur. And it was Motilal Sanghi who
sold RR GLK 21 to the Maharana of Udaipur for Rs 5,721 (less than $100 at 2012 exchange rates).
Shortly after RR GLK 21 arrived in the Palace Motor Garage, it was cannibalized and its engine
removed and fixed in RR 42 GO. Then Second World War happened and RR GLK 21 got entwined
in history and was surrendered to the ravages of time. From 1940s to the end of the century, a
period of almost 60 years, it lay forgotten in the Zenana Mahal (ladies’ quarters) inside the City
Palace, Udaipur.
Rolls Royce GLK 21 Final.indd 22-23 31/07/12 11:57 AM
2322
A line-up of the cars at Wimbledon, england, in June 1925. third from left: 1924 rr tourer 20 HP GLK 21, Coachwork by Barkerphoto courtesy: J.m. Fasal
Folloling pagel:A fleet of new Rolls-Royces and Vauxhalls ordered by maharaja of Jodhpur in 1924 and photographed in Wimbledon in June 1925. Fourth from left: 1924 rr tourer 20 hp GLK 21, Coachwork by Barkerphoto courtesy: J.m. Fasal
Seth Shri Motilalji Sanghi of M/s Sanghi motors, Jodhpur, india, was a pioneer in importing cars to india.
the Sanghi motors showroom at Jodhpur
Fateh Singh’s successor, Maharana Bhupal Singh’s favourite RR was a 1922 Tourer 20 HP (chassis
no. 42 GO) that he purchased in 1925 for Rs 15,551 (a little over $250 at 2012 exchange rates).
Maharana Bhupal Singh purchased many more Rolls-Royces, but RR 42 GO remained his favourite.
He went for a drive in it almost daily and also used it on ceremonial occasions when it was flanked
by colourfully decorated elephants and horses and surrounded by a mass of people. Some old-
timers even say ‘the animals were better behaved in the presence of silent Rolls-Royces than other
makes of cars’! Those were the days of great pomp and pageantry in ‘Princely India’ and elephants
and horses adorned with pure gold jewellery and precious stones began to run shoulders with the