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

The car on these pages was ordered new by the Rajasaheb of Akkalkot, Vijayasinhrao Fatehsinhrao III Raje Bhosle. For how long the car was with the Akkalkot princely family is not known, but at some point it ended up at a garage at Mumbai’s Lamington Road, from where it was picked up by the late collector C Ravi Kumar, of Bangalore. When Ravi Kumar passed away, the car was acquired by Jackie Shroff, who in turn sold the car to Balaji Rao, from Pune. 1937 Steyr 220 cabriolet Since the 14th century, the Austrian city of Steyr has been famous as a centre for metallurgy and was renowned for its gunsmiths. From the middle of the 17th century thousands of muskets, pistols and rifles were produced annually in Steyr for the needs of the imperial Hapsburg army. In April 1864 Josef Werndl founded the Josef und Franz Werndl & Comp. Waffenfabrik und Sägemühle in Oberletten, which evolved into the Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft (the Austro-Hungarian society for the production of arms). In early 1900s the company was split by specific activities and three entities came out of it: Steyr Traktoren , specialising in agricultural tractors, Steyr Mannlicher for manufacturing arms and weapons, and Steyr, in 1915, to manufacture cars. But post-‘29 crash, Steyr realized that they needed a more reasonably priced upper middle class car for sustainable volumes. Thus the Steyr 120 Super was developed in ‘35 by Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG (Steyr had been merged with Austro- Daimler-Puch, in 1934). In 1936 the car received a bigger 55bhp 2260cc engine and this model, badged a 220 was a very popular car. The Steyr 220 featured here was imported into India by an Austrian. When he was leaving India in or about 1938, he sold the car to Maharawal Laxman Singh of Dungarpur. With WW II destroying a very large part of the vehicle population of countries such as Germany and Austria, not too many Steyr 220s survive in the world. In India, this seems to be the only one. What makes this car even more special is that it has never been restored! A brilliant example of conservation, this car has been retained in its timeless state by Harshvardhan Singh, of Dungarpur, a testimony to the importance of preserving heritage and history. 1939 Cadillac Series 75 seven-seater sedan The ultimate example of American luxury from the 1930s, the Cadillac V8s were handsome cars on long, but not unwieldy wheelbases, offering a broad selection of body styles, including semi-custom types by Fisher and Fleetwood, both of which were in-house coachbuilders. Designer William L Mitchell developed a square, yet crisply elegant car with chrome-edged windows, square back fenders, concealed running boards and a much lower profile. Topping the V8 line, the Series 75 was offered with a plethora of Fleetwood custom bodies on a really long 3.58 metres wheelbase. About nine different body styles were available, with a multiplicity of possibilities in terms of seats and limousine divisions that gave the buyer a choice of at least 15 models. One of two Cadillacs gifted by the Maharajkumar of Bikaner, Sir Sadul Singh Bahadur to his daughter Bhanwar Baisaheb Sushila Kumariji on the occasion of her marriage to Maharajkumar Bhagwat Singh Bahadur of Udaipur in 1940, the car on these pages was essentially for the use of the future Maharani. For the young bride, the Bikaner family chose a seven-seater formal sedan version with Fleetwood customizing the car with deep tinted windows that ensured ‘purdah’ privacy. Additionally, curtains were also fitted. Powered by the more powerful 140bhp version of the engine, this car has been used occasionally, essentially to ferry special guests, including the likes of Jackie Kennedy. With just 26,293 miles (47,142kms) this Cadillac is really special, all the more so given that just 44 seven-seater formal sedans were produced (amongst a total of 97 formal sedans including the five-seater version), out of a total of 2,069 of the Series 75 made in 1939. 1939 Delahaye 135MS Some of the most extraordinary automotive forms designed ever were based on the long, elegant and powerful French Delahaye 135 chassis. Arguably, the most beautiful was a pale pink and orange Delahaye unveiled at the famed French coachbuilder Figoni et Falaschi’s stand at the ’36 Salon de Paris. Four days after the show, a 25-year-old Prince Aly Khan purchased it. Over the next year-and-a-half – till mid- 1938 that is – Figoni et Falaschi had orders for seven more cars based on the same design, though no two cars were identical. The ninth car in the series was ordered by Paul Jourde, a Frenchman with a passion for India, who had it shipped to India, to be sold to a certain enthusiast here. In the 1980s the car was spirited out of India, and today it is part of American collector Peter Mullin’s extraordinary collection of French bolides. The year after, in 1939, Paul Jourde bought another similar car, the tenth in the series, but it was extra special in being a 135 MS, one of the fastest cars in the world then. The Delahaye 135 MS, chassis # 60217, is the car on these pages. One of 11 ever made and one of the five that are surviving today, this magnificent Delahaye has been in the long term ownership of Dalip Singh of Jodhpur. Arguably, the most beautiful historic car in India today, this Delahaye epitomizes the sheer flamboyance of French automotive art from the pre-War period.