Coys Auction
Ascot Racecourse,
Berkshire SL5 7JX
Sunday 23 May 2010 at 3pm
Registration Number: DS 7695 Chassis Number: GAJ 81
As the Maharajas lost power in the British Raj, they became increasingly hooked to the trappings of power of the Western world. Major western purveyors of luxury goods from Cartier to Louis Vuitton to Rolls-Royce became their personal catalogue houses, as the princes adopted western dress and ways of living.
Motor cars were an extravagance that enriched the car manufacturers, in particular Rolls-Royce; regarded as the finest manufacturer, with luxury cars given as gifts and in trousseaus.
Purchased new in 1927 by the Maharaja of Burdwan (a region of Bengal, India) as a wedding gift for his son, this fine open tourer by Hooper is most original, retaining the original aluminium body work over an ash frame and all original instruments on a polished aluminium dashboard. GAJ 81 was subsequently purchased in 1958 by Mr Whittingham, an American and driven