Osian's Auction Catalogue Automobilia The Art of the Historical Vehicle | October 2018

Automobilia: The Art of the Historical Vehicle 17 the ultimate Goddess amongst all of Titus’ cars, what with just 11 surviving worldwide (seven in the US, two in Australia, and the tenth with the King of Belgium). 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental When Bentley won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times between 1924 and 1930, Henry Royce was charged up enough to decide on developing a ‘sportier’ version (to take on the upstart from Crickelwood!) of the car that had established its reputation as the makers of what was supposedly the ‘World’s Best Car’. Based on the Phantom I, four experimental lightweight ‘sports’ Rolls-Royces were made, but it wasn’t till the launch of the Phantom II that a sportier version was put on sale. The Continentals were shorter, lighter and markedly quicker than the ‘full size’ Rolls-Royce Phantom IIs and as few as 279 of these ‘sporty’ Rolls-Royces found buyers who were willing to pay a hefty premium over the already expensive Phantom II. Incidentally, a total of 1680 Phantom IIs, including the Continentals, were produced between 1929 and 1936. Just six of the Phantom II Continentals found customers in India and only one still remains in the country, the one pictured here. The last of the Phantom II Continentals produced, this Streamline coupe features sublimely beautiful coachwork from J Gurney Nutting, the most flamboyant amongst the classically staid British coachbuilders of the era. Ordered by the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Umaid Singh, on the 5th of June, 1935, the car was delivered in Bombay on the 18th of October, the same year. From 1935 to 1944 there seems to be not much on record on this car. Sometime in the mid-1950s, the car was acquired by a Mr. Currim in Bombay, who in turn sold the car to H H Jetha in 1962. The car was used regularly by HH Jetha and since 2002, by his son, Amir Ali Jetha, who has been driving and maintaining the car. Since new, the car has been repainted and the interior has been extensively refurbished twice. For the Rolls-Royce enthusiast, the PII Continental is regarded by many as the finest from the pre-war era, and this car is easily one of the finest of the finest. 1936 Lanchester Straight 8 When the Maharaja of Nawanagar, Ranjitsinhji died in 1933, he was succeeded by his nephew, the 38-yearold Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, who remained the Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar till 1947, when Nawanagar merged into the newly independent state of India. Continuing his uncle’s penchant for one of the oldest of the British car marques Lanchester, Digvijaysinhji also kept patronising the marque, though, by then Lanchester was not independent any longer, having been taken over by Daimler in 1931. Even if George Lanchester had left the company a few years earlier, his design work on the earlier 1920s Lanchesters, together with the equally famous Laurence Pomeroy, was still evident on the Daimler 4 1/2 Litre Straight 8, launched in 1936. Prince Albert, The Duke of York (later King George VI), was a Lanchester enthusiast and he ordered two limousines in 1936, the condition being that they be badged Lanchesters. These two Hooper- bodied cars were gifted to his two daughters: the Princesses Elizabeth (yes, the Queen herself) and Margaret. At around the same time, Maharaja Digvijaysinhji also ordered one, which is the car featured on these pages, which was also powered by the same straight-eight, but with drophead coupé sports coachwork by coachbuilders Vanden Plas. Even though Daimler had stopped manufacturing the Lanchester Straight 8s, they couldn’t quite refuse the two staunch Lanchester enthusiasts, The Duke of York and the Maharaja of Nawanagar. Thus just these three special Lanchester Straight 8s were built in 1936, two for the duke and one for the maharaja. In 1964, the car was gifted to by Digvijaysinhji to his ‘grand-nephew’, Durga Pratap Sinh Sisodia, the ‘Maharaj’ of Pratapgarh. Till 2012 the car was in the continuous ownership of Durgapratapsinh Sisodia, even when he moved to live in New Zealand. In 2012, Sisodia moved back to India, to Pune. The Lanchester came back with him. But since it’s been back ‘home’ in India, it has found a new home in Mumbai. 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Unveiled at the Paris Salon of 1936, the Mercedes-Benz 540K was the logical evolution of the already legendary 500K. The car’s 5.4-litre engine developed 180bhp with the supercharger engaged, and mated to a four-speed gearbox, the 540K could easily do 170 km/h. For the period, that was remarkable performance, especially as this speed was reached in comfort and security that was already the hallmark of Mercedes-Benz. The finish of the car was also obviously up to the very highest standards, and several body styles were available: convertible, roadster, tourer or coupe. Symbolizing the golden age of classic cars in its most prestigious form, the 540K is all the more particular thanks to its rarity, since just a little over 400 units were ever made between 1936 and 1939. A handful of these fabulous machines made it to India, but just two are known to survive in the country.