0:00:07 > 0:00:13India, always a country of contrasts and contradictions.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16CARS HONK
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Nowhere more so than in its relationship with the car.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24And one car in particular.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44In the first 50 years of the 20th century,
0:00:44 > 0:00:50more than 800 Rolls-Royce cars were exported from England to India.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54In a sustained period of motoring madness,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58the Rolls-Royce name became an obsession for a group of Indian maharajas.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Money was not a consideration, as the princes
0:01:04 > 0:01:07tried to outdo each other with the sheer extravagance of their cars.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16How did one manufacturer capture the imagination of the exotic subcontinent?
0:01:19 > 0:01:22This is the story of Rolls-Royce in India.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Ahmedabad, in the western state of Gujarat,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46India's largest collection of vintage cars.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51The country's automotive history is represented here,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53from 1950s American models,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57to cars driven by the British officials who governed the country before independence.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Some of India's surviving Rolls-Royces are here, too.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Advertised at the time as the best car in the world,
0:02:07 > 0:02:12these luxurious machines were not driven by British civil servants and officers.
0:02:12 > 0:02:18They were hand built in England for some of Rolls-Royce's most prized customers,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20India's princes and maharajas.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Maharaja is a Hindi word meaning 'great ruler'.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48It's used in a general sense to describe the whole range of princes,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51nawabs, maharanas and nizams who ruled India
0:02:51 > 0:02:54in the centuries leading up to independence.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07I think, to the British in India,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and indeed many writers and travellers since,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14the princely courts are really a kind of spectacle
0:03:14 > 0:03:17of Oriental pageantry and ancient ritual.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20But, of course, we can't forget that the maharajas
0:03:20 > 0:03:22had a very important job to do, as well.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25They ruled over hundreds of thousands,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28in some cases literally millions, of subjects,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32and controlled vast tracts of land across the Indian subcontinent.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38In the 19th century the British ruled India.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42But the 600-odd princely states,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46marked in yellow, were governed by the maharajas.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55Udaipur in Rajasthan was one of the oldest of the princely states.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59It was ruled by one line of princes for almost 1,300 years,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03the longest unbroken dynasty in the world.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11Today, Udaipur is perhaps most famous for its pristine Lake Palace.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16But a few hundred yards away, the royal garage still houses
0:04:16 > 0:04:21a collection of Rolls-Royce motorcars from the 1920s and 1930s.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Among them is this pristine 1924 Tourer,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28which was bought new by the grandfather
0:04:28 > 0:04:31of the current maharana, Arvind Singh.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37These cars need to be used otherwise they deteriorate very fast.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42And every morning, like horses, they are being worked.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46They have a schedule and they are taken out
0:04:46 > 0:04:48so that the batteries and all are in good shape,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51the whole engine and everything is in good shape.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56I insist on that. I think it's important, if you have a collection,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59the cars must be running.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08These Rolls-Royces are not just a car,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10but a thing of great joy and beauty.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14And even though this is not a modern Rolls-Royce,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17it gives me more pleasure than a modern Rolls-Royce does
0:05:17 > 0:05:21and I can sit and look at it all day, all night.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22It's a passion,
0:05:22 > 0:05:28and there are various ways of fulfilling one's passion,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31and, for me, this works.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41This princely passion for motorcars is a recurring theme
0:05:41 > 0:05:46and it started 100 years ago when they were first introduced.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51When the car first came to England and Europe,
0:05:51 > 0:05:56I think the wealthy in India were longing to possess one.
0:05:56 > 0:05:57They had so much wealth
0:05:57 > 0:06:01and they were constantly going after new toys, new gadgets,
0:06:01 > 0:06:02new mechanical marvels,
0:06:02 > 0:06:07and what better than the mechanical elephant that had come to India?
0:06:13 > 0:06:15In the years before the First World War
0:06:15 > 0:06:19there was no finer mechanical elephant than a Rolls-Royce.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31The company was founded in 1906 by amateur racing driver Charles Rolls,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34the engineering genius Henry Royce,
0:06:34 > 0:06:39and Claude Johnson, the man known as the hyphen in Rolls-Royce.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Their first factory was in Manchester,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47but the company moved to Derby in 1908.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53From the earliest days, it was clear that Rolls-Royce
0:06:53 > 0:06:55was looking for special customers.
0:06:57 > 0:07:03The aim was simple, to produce what came to be known as the best car in the world.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Silent, reliable and luxurious.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12And had you been a potential customer at the time,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Rolls-Royce might well have shown you
0:07:14 > 0:07:18this 1910 40/50 horsepower model which was used as a demonstrator.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25To prove the car's smoothness and lack of vibration,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29customers were shown a penny balanced on the radiator
0:07:29 > 0:07:31while the engine was running.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Also on show was a comprehensive tool kit.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Rolls-Royce maintained that its cars would not break down,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44but very occasionally they might fail to proceed.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51The final detail was the famous Spirit Of Ecstasy mascot,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54sometimes called The Flying Lady.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00Suitably adorned, Rolls-Royce motorcars were ready for anything.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14And so to India, where Rolls-Royce's first ever maharaja customer
0:08:14 > 0:08:17had to make do with a second-hand car.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25It was shipped out in 1908
0:08:25 > 0:08:28by a Lancastrian businessman called Frank Norbury.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Like this car, it was a Silver Ghost model,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37named for its almost supernatural quietness.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Norbury entered his car in a reliability trial
0:08:42 > 0:08:45on the rough country roads outside Bombay.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47With no tools on board,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51and the bonnet kept locked shut for the entire 620-mile course,
0:08:51 > 0:08:56Norbury left the competition behind, comfortably winning the event.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59We're talking about 100 years ago now.
0:08:59 > 0:09:05For any car to perform a journey of 620 miles was almost unheard of,
0:09:05 > 0:09:09but for it to cover 620 miles without breaking down
0:09:09 > 0:09:11was something nobody could possibly believe.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Combine that with typical Rolls-Royce standards of comfort
0:09:15 > 0:09:19and you've got something which was a complete revelation,
0:09:19 > 0:09:20even in Europe in those days,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24and, you can imagine, in India where the motorcar was very much a novelty.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31After the success, it's no surprise that Frank Norbury
0:09:31 > 0:09:36found a royal buyer for the car, His Highness The Maharaja Of Gwalior.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40It was soon nicknamed the pearl of the East
0:09:40 > 0:09:44and was painted in off-white, with apple-green stripes edged with gold.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49There's a rumour that the paint had a special ingredient.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53The maharaja had a special fondness for pearls.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Even in the largest of his palaces,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59real pearls were ground with the paint
0:09:59 > 0:10:03to give that lustre and finish to the paint on the walls,
0:10:03 > 0:10:09so he could have possibly done that to his car to make it look unusual.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15The pearl of the East disappeared in the 1920s and has never been found.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Today, this 1913 Silver Ghost
0:10:19 > 0:10:23is one of the oldest Rolls-Royce motorcars in India.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28It's been in Tariq Ibrahim's family for five generations.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33My car was lying in a garage for about 40 years,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and in 2000 I started restoring it.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38It took me five years to restore the car.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42Tariq's car has the wooden artillery-style wheels
0:10:42 > 0:10:45favoured for India's rough country roads,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48and a boa-constrictor-type horn.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49HONK!
0:10:49 > 0:10:51HONK! HONK! HONK!
0:10:52 > 0:10:54These are the original lights.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56They are original Lucas lights.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59This is the crank handle.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02This was used in those days to start the car
0:11:02 > 0:11:04and you just had to push it three times
0:11:04 > 0:11:07and then the car used to start.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14The car is powered by the famous 7.5 litre 40/50 horsepower engine
0:11:14 > 0:11:17that was fitted to more than 7,000 Silver Ghosts
0:11:17 > 0:11:19that were built up until 1926.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26It's a low-revving, silky-smooth, six-cylinder motor, but thirsty,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28with only about 12 miles to the gallon.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Well, this particular car is known as Double Limousine
0:11:34 > 0:11:39because in those days the driver was supposed to sit in the open
0:11:39 > 0:11:43and this model particularly had the driver covered also.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46So, this is known as Double Limousine.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48You can see from here that the driver's covered
0:11:48 > 0:11:52and both the compartments are covered.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06Waterloo Mansions in central Bombay, the place where Rolls-Royce
0:12:06 > 0:12:10established its first Indian showroom in 1911.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13The company had already sold a few cars to maharajas,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16but how could it expand its Indian business?
0:12:18 > 0:12:21The answer lay in the marketing opportunity of the century.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30The occasion was the coronation ceremony, or durbar,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33for the new King Emperor, George V.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43300,000 people, including all of India's maharajas and princes,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46came to pay their respects in Delhi.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52I think it's hard to underestimate the importance
0:12:52 > 0:12:54of the Delhi Durbar of 1911.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59It, in many ways really, represents the kind of zenith of imperial rule in India.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04On one hand you actually have the Imperial sovereign,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06the King and Emperor George V,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10actually coming to India for the first time.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14On the other hand, you have this event attracting princes and noblemen
0:13:14 > 0:13:19and men of wealth and status from all across the Indian subcontinent.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24The Rolls-Royce company had generously put eight Silver Ghosts
0:13:24 > 0:13:28at the disposal of the King Emperor and his senior officials.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33It was a brilliant piece of product placement
0:13:33 > 0:13:35in front of a glittering audience,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38many of whom would, in time, become customers.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Rolls-Royce had arrived in India.
0:13:52 > 0:13:58Hyderabad, the City Of Domes, is 800 miles from Delhi.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02It was here, in the year after the durbar, that the Rolls-Royce company
0:14:02 > 0:14:07sold an extraordinary car to the world's richest man,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Osman Ali Khan, the nizam of Hyderabad.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22The nizam's long reign was marked by his progression from playboy prince
0:14:22 > 0:14:26to progressive ruler and, finally, to notorious miser.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36He ruled over 80,000 square miles of south central India,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and he held court in the Durbar Hall of the Chowmahalla Palace.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47An immensely powerful figure on a low yellow throne.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56His vast collections of pearls, rubies and especially diamonds
0:14:56 > 0:14:59were valued in the billions of rupees,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03and his subjects could not turn their backs on him
0:15:03 > 0:15:05as they left his exalted presence.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Today, only a few of the Nizam's cars are left in Hyderabad,
0:15:15 > 0:15:20but he once had more than 200, looked after by an army of servants.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Not only was there a team for each car,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29there was a supervisor for so many cars,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32and then there was a superintendent for so many cars.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34It was almost as hierarchical as the army!
0:15:37 > 0:15:41If you wanted a screwdriver, you had to get a requisition slip
0:15:41 > 0:15:44signed by the person you were reporting to
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and then take it to the stores, who would verifiy that you were
0:15:47 > 0:15:53taking from him the exact size of screwdriver that was required!
0:15:56 > 0:15:59The Nizam's bureaucracy has long gone,
0:15:59 > 0:16:04but the jewel of his collection can still be found in a quiet corner of the Chowmahalla Palace.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10It's one of the most distinctive Rolls-Royce cars ever commissioned.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28The so called Throne Car is a Silver Ghost, ordered by the Nizam
0:16:28 > 0:16:32to reflect his status as India's most important hereditary ruler.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39His crown is a recurring theme
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and there are silver-plated fittings all over the car
0:16:42 > 0:16:47and silk brocade upholstery around the throne itself.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58The original Rolls-Royce worksheet from the factory in Derby
0:16:58 > 0:17:02shows that this unusually ornate car cost £1,500 -
0:17:02 > 0:17:06enough to buy a sizable London house at the time.
0:17:08 > 0:17:14With just 356 miles on the clock, the car was only ever brought out
0:17:14 > 0:17:20for ceremonial purposes, and it's been lying unused since the 1930s.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22I don't think there is another automobile
0:17:22 > 0:17:25anywhere in the world which has been produced like that.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30I mean, just to call it a Throne Car itself is a very big thing.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33That it was made for the King. It's a moving throne.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36His presence was there when he was sitting in the car
0:17:36 > 0:17:39as His Royal Highness, The Nizam of Hyderabad.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42I mean, the car signifies that presence everywhere,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44whether it's parked without the Nizam sitting in it!
0:17:44 > 0:17:47It still says it's a Throne Car.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Time hasn't been kind to this car,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55but it endures as a tattered memorial
0:17:55 > 0:17:58to the richest man in the world.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18By 1912, Rolls-Royces were gradually becoming the maharajas' car of choice.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22In some states, the sight of a Rolls-Royce
0:18:22 > 0:18:25let the people know that their ruler was doing his rounds.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Before the advent of the car
0:18:29 > 0:18:35they would tour their estates on horseback, or in large processions,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and set up tented camps whenever they went to the villages.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40The car speeded up things,
0:18:40 > 0:18:45but it was very useful in touring the states, meeting the people.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49And people would ride on the car and talk to the maharaja
0:18:49 > 0:18:52as the car went along at a slow speed,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55so it was a wonderful way of meeting the people.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59A Rolls-Royce was a more convenient way to travel,
0:18:59 > 0:19:04but India's roads were designed for bullock carts, not cars.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11When the car first came to India, the condition of the roads was deplorable to say the least,
0:19:11 > 0:19:16except I think the roads that were frequented by the British authorities.
0:19:16 > 0:19:23But in the princely states, they were really quite bad because until then,
0:19:23 > 0:19:28there were only using carriages, elephants and horses or camels.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52Luxury cars were soon forgotten when the First World War broke out in Europe.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58The Rolls-Royce company immediately stopped making cars,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01turning instead to aero engines
0:20:01 > 0:20:05and chassis for ambulances and armoured vehicles.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Meanwhile, a million Indian troops
0:20:12 > 0:20:14found themselves defending the British Empire
0:20:14 > 0:20:17in the battlefields of Europe and the Middle East.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22After the First World War, I think it's fair to say
0:20:22 > 0:20:26that many Indians began to really question, I guess,
0:20:26 > 0:20:31the level of sacrifice that had been given in the cause of that conflict.
0:20:31 > 0:20:37And, indeed, it was after that that nationalist sentiment within India
0:20:37 > 0:20:39really, really began to take off.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44With nationalism came anti-British feeling,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46and sometimes violence.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56But this did nothing to stem a flood of Indian inquiries for new Rolls-Royce cars.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12The company's pre-war efforts in India were now bearing fruit.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16While Henry Royce worked on the designs for a new model,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19the car production lines were restarted.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27As the orders poured in, Rolls-Royce continued its formula
0:21:27 > 0:21:32of supplying customers with a chassis and engine, but no bodywork.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Bear in mind that with a Rolls-Royce you only ordered your chassis,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39the mechanical part, from Rolls-Royce.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42You then had it delivered to your favoured coachbuilder,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45who would build whatever body you would like on it.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49And, therefore, the maharajas were able to order these cars
0:21:49 > 0:21:51completely tailored to what they wanted
0:21:51 > 0:21:54by their individual coachbuilders.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02There were 400 coachbuilders to choose from across Europe,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05but most customers used London-based firms
0:22:05 > 0:22:08like Barker, Hooper or Windovers.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12The process of ordering, building and delivering a tailor-made car
0:22:12 > 0:22:16took time, and some maharajas couldn't be bothered to wait.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Rolls-Royce therefore took the unusual step
0:22:21 > 0:22:24of actually commissioning the top coachbuilders of the period
0:22:24 > 0:22:28to body a number of different cars that were then sent out to India
0:22:28 > 0:22:30so that the maharaja could walk into the showroom,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34say, "I'll have a red one, a blue one and a green one," and leave with it right away.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39That maharajas didn't have to go far for this instant gratification.
0:22:39 > 0:22:46By 1921, Rolls-Royce had opened showrooms in Bombay, Delhi and Calcutta.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Rolls Royce, of course, in all their showrooms in India
0:22:49 > 0:22:50which were subsequently opened,
0:22:50 > 0:22:56had trained people and because they didn't want their cars,
0:22:56 > 0:23:01their lovely cars to be misused, if asked for, they would supply drivers
0:23:01 > 0:23:05who would treat the cars the way they ought to have been treated.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Drivers trained by Rolls-Royce were sent out from Britain,
0:23:11 > 0:23:17and in some cases they stayed on in the service of a maharaja for many years.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Quite apart from drivers, when it came to after-sales service
0:23:22 > 0:23:26no other car manufacturer came close to Rolls-Royce.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31They had a full set of workshops and any maharaja anywhere in India
0:23:31 > 0:23:35could just write them a letter and say "my car has developed such and such problems"
0:23:35 > 0:23:38and they would send in the mechanics to come and fix the car.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43And that is one of the reasons the maharajas were very happy with Rolls-Royce.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49This car is an example of the new model that Henry Royce had been working on since the end of the war.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54It was launched in 1922 and it was called the 20,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58after its 20-horsepower, three-litre engine.
0:24:00 > 0:24:0420s were smaller and lighter than Rolls-Royce's only other model,
0:24:04 > 0:24:09the Silver Ghost. They were cheaper, too.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12A little over half price, at £1,100 for the chassis.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Add another £400 for the bodywork,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19and the total is around £60,000 in today's money.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30The introduction of the baby Rolls-Royce heralded a golden age for exports.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34The Great Gatsby brought to life in India.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53During that golden period the Maharaja of Patiala,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56the Maharaja of Bharatpur, the Maharaja of Mysore,
0:24:56 > 0:25:02many of the big estates in Rajasthan bought fleets and fleets of these cars.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07But they were not just one or two sales, they were sales by the dozens in India.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11One of the most prolific Rolls-Royce buyers in India of the era
0:25:11 > 0:25:15was the Maharaja of Patiala, not a man used to doing things by halves!
0:25:15 > 0:25:19He had no fewer than 44 Rolls-Royces,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22to go with the 300 ladies in his harem.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25The other character was the Maharaja of Mysore,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28who used to buy his Rolls-Royces by the half-dozen.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31In fact, it's said that at the factory in the period,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33"Doing a Mysore" was an expression they coined
0:25:33 > 0:25:36for anybody who bought more than six cars at a time.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50With more and more cars arriving in India,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52each maharaja wanted individuality.
0:25:52 > 0:25:59Some demanded faster cars, a horrifying prospect for Rolls-Royce.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01An internal company memo warned that,
0:26:01 > 0:26:05"the serpent of speed and power has entered this company
0:26:05 > 0:26:08"and is likely to poison its existence,"
0:26:08 > 0:26:12and also stated that anyone promoting faster cars would be sacked.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19Apart from increased performance, there was an almost insatiable demand for precious materials,
0:26:19 > 0:26:26sophisticated new equipment and every manner of in-car accessory.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31Coachbuilders were kept busy with the clean, modern lines of the new Art Deco,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34all the rage with India's fashion-conscious royalty.
0:26:41 > 0:26:46But fashion didn't always dictate the style of a new Rolls-Royce.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Sometimes tradition was more important.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52In the more conservative households,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55royal women lived in a state of purdah,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59unseen by any men apart from their maharaja.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06The purdah ladies had traditionally travelled in covered conveyances, or palanquins,
0:27:06 > 0:27:12but a Rolls-Royce with thick curtains to hide behind was more comfortable.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Leaving the car was quite a performance.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20When a lady got down from the car,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23there were a lot of intricate procedures.
0:27:23 > 0:27:29All the ladies would enter a kind of square curtain contraption
0:27:29 > 0:27:31so that nobody could see them.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35It was a very strange way of travelling,
0:27:35 > 0:27:40with curtains and these frames just to ensure their privacy.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49Manvendra Singh looks after a collection of Rolls-Royces in Central India.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54One of them is a purdah car that was made for a princess in the remote state of Darbhanga.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01This is one of the great purdah cars, made for the Maharani of Darbhanga.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05It's a Phantom 1, and known as the Bar Car.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09It's called the Bar Car because it has a bar!
0:28:09 > 0:28:12The Maharani was not allowed to drink in the palace
0:28:12 > 0:28:16and she would go out in the evening drive in this specially built car,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18and she would have a drink.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22And her lady-in-waiting who would would serve the drink would be sitting there.
0:28:22 > 0:28:27Unfortunately for the Maharani, there was only one short stretch of paved roads in Darbhanga,
0:28:27 > 0:28:32so she was driven up and down it repeatedly while she finished her gin.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Hunting, or shikaar, was another royal activity
0:28:48 > 0:28:51that opened up a big market for Rolls-Royce.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55The cars were tough enough to cope with cross-country driving,
0:28:55 > 0:28:56even at speed.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03On one hunting trip, Lord Louis Mountbatten
0:29:03 > 0:29:07described a maharaja's Rolls-Royce going "over wild, open country,
0:29:07 > 0:29:13"smashing through holes and over boulders, heaving and rocking like a boat at sea."
0:29:20 > 0:29:25This magnificent car was built to order for the Maharaja of Bharatpur.
0:29:27 > 0:29:32It's a Phantom 1, which was the model Rolls-Royce introduced in 1925
0:29:32 > 0:29:33to replace the Silver Ghost,
0:29:33 > 0:29:36which had been in production for almost 20 years.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42This one was specially designed
0:29:42 > 0:29:45for long-range tiger-hunting expeditions.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47History doesn't relate how much it was used,
0:29:47 > 0:29:52and Bharatpur was, in fact, much more famous for duck-hunting.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56The windscreen has fold-up grilles,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59supposedly to stop a tiger from smashing the glass.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03There's a sliding roof in the driver's compartment
0:30:03 > 0:30:06that gives an elevated shooting platform.
0:30:07 > 0:30:12The back section converts into a full-length bed for the maharaja's comfort.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18And there are steel mesh grilles to keep the mosquitoes out,
0:30:18 > 0:30:20but allowing air to circulate freely.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38In Udaipur, there are still herds of chital deer
0:30:38 > 0:30:41that were once hunted by the maharanas.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49To reach his hunting grounds, Maharana Bhupal Singh
0:30:49 > 0:30:52used this stripped-down Rolls-Royce shooting brake.
0:30:55 > 0:31:00He was a keen hunter, but he was also paralysed from the waist down,
0:31:00 > 0:31:04so he ordered a special car from Rolls-Royce.
0:31:04 > 0:31:09This car was originally made for the Maharana
0:31:09 > 0:31:13Bhupal Singh of Mewar, who was, I'm told, handicapped,
0:31:13 > 0:31:15so it was specially made for him
0:31:15 > 0:31:18so that he could drive the car with his hands alone.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24All the foot controls can be operated by hand -
0:31:24 > 0:31:27clutch, brakes and accelerator.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29ENGINE REVS
0:31:31 > 0:31:33This technology was way ahead of its time,
0:31:33 > 0:31:36an example of Rolls-Royce's willingness to do whatever it took
0:31:36 > 0:31:39to service their customers' every need.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44Old photographs show the Maharana of Udaipur
0:31:44 > 0:31:49as a passenger in his Rolls-Royces, but never behind the wheel.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53I had never seen him drive it, somehow,
0:31:53 > 0:32:00but at the same time Rolls-Royce was good enough to manufacture a car
0:32:00 > 0:32:04for the challenged as far back as that,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07which in itself makes that car very unique.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13While this car was designed and engineered
0:32:13 > 0:32:16at the Rolls-Royce factory back in Derby,
0:32:16 > 0:32:20others were adapted for special purposes in India itself.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30In 1923, a formal Thrupp & Maberly limousine
0:32:30 > 0:32:33was shipped out from England to Udaipur.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38Today, it looks like a Jeep,
0:32:38 > 0:32:43after a radical redesign by the current maharana's father.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47The whole designing was done in our own garage.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51There was no such thing as going to a professional person
0:32:51 > 0:32:56who was a coach, who was used to designing coaches.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00This was something which was his passion
0:33:00 > 0:33:01and he decided to do it.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08It may look like a Jeep, but the car was designed for very particular purpose.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25It's surely the world's only Rolls-Royce cricket car,
0:33:25 > 0:33:29specially bodied to transport the Udaipur team to their fixtures.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38From purdah to hunting and even cricket,
0:33:38 > 0:33:41there was a Rolls-Royce for all occasions.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52But what did these cars represent
0:33:52 > 0:33:55in the British-ruled India of the 1920s?
0:33:55 > 0:33:59Of course, for a prince to own a Rolls-Royce at the time
0:33:59 > 0:34:02was a luxury accessory, part of his lifestyle.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05But it also served an important role as a status symbol,
0:34:05 > 0:34:10not only to remind the prince's own subjects who was in charge,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12but also - and perhaps more importantly -
0:34:12 > 0:34:17to remind the British that they weren't the only ones wielding power,
0:34:17 > 0:34:19but above all wealth.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23When you see old photographs of British rulers and officials
0:34:23 > 0:34:26riding around in Rolls-Royces in India in the period,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29you naturally assume that the British owned the cars,
0:34:29 > 0:34:31but the Rolls-Royces in India at the time
0:34:31 > 0:34:35were so expensive the British couldn't actually afford them.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Almost invariably, these are cars owned by maharajas
0:34:38 > 0:34:42who have extended their use as a courtesy to their British visitors.
0:34:43 > 0:34:49So when you look at the number of cars sold to the British officials
0:34:49 > 0:34:52as compared to what's sold to the maharajas, the number of cars
0:34:52 > 0:34:58would be just 2% to the British and 98% to the maharajas.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07Rolls-Royces became symbols in the complex status rivalry
0:35:07 > 0:35:11played out between the maharajas and the British officials.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18I think the relationship between the Indian princes
0:35:18 > 0:35:23and the British royalty as well as the authorities who were in India
0:35:23 > 0:35:26was a very strange one, because I think
0:35:26 > 0:35:29they were constantly playing games with each other,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32almost like a one-upmanship game.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36An imposing Rolls-Royce was part and parcel of these games,
0:35:36 > 0:35:40where protocol was wielded as a subtle weapon.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45One revealing incident involved the Maharani of Baroda,
0:35:45 > 0:35:47who took her granddaughter
0:35:47 > 0:35:50to call on the Viceroy's wife, Lady Willingdon.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57The princesses arrived at exactly the appointed time, but
0:35:57 > 0:36:02the notoriously rude Lady Willingdon kept them waiting...and waiting.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09The granddaughter recounted the story to me.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13The grandmother kept telling her, "Don't get down. Keep sitting."
0:36:13 > 0:36:18And she kept asking Lady Willingdon's ADC, "Where is Lady Willingdon? "
0:36:18 > 0:36:24and she sat in her car till Lady Willingdon actually came out to receive them and only then
0:36:24 > 0:36:29did she tell her granddaughter, "Now we can get down."
0:36:29 > 0:36:32Their dignity intact, the ladies could at last leave
0:36:32 > 0:36:37the safe haven of their car and follow their formidable hostess.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Protocol was not an issue in the princely state of Barakpur,
0:36:45 > 0:36:50but the extravagance of the maharaja was out of control.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55His passion for Rolls-Royce motorcars almost bankrupted the state.
0:37:00 > 0:37:07As a wide-eyed 12-year-old, Maharaja Kishan Singh had attended the Delhi Durbar.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12When he was 19, his mother died and the previously well-behaved
0:37:12 > 0:37:17young prince started spending money like water.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20His Highness the Maharaja of Barakpur, Kishan Singh,
0:37:20 > 0:37:25was a great spendthrift, and on one of his notable occasions
0:37:25 > 0:37:32in the 1920s, he went England, ordered five Rolls-Royces,
0:37:32 > 0:37:3918 Purdey guns and a number of most exotic other personal possessions to take back with him.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44Money was no object and he had this fascination with motorcars.
0:37:50 > 0:37:57Peter Vacher now owns one of the Barakpur Rolls-Royces and keeps it at his home in Oxfordshire.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02It's another 20, the hugely popular baby Rolls-Royce of the 1920s.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07This particular car was built as a dowry car.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11In other words, it was given as a wedding present.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15It was given as a wedding present for a wedding at Barakpur
0:38:15 > 0:38:23to go with the bride to her new home, but it never left Barakpur, in fact.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33Just as in grand Indian weddings today, the Barakpur dowry was huge,
0:38:33 > 0:38:39with piles of jewellery, fine fabrics and even an elephant.
0:38:41 > 0:38:48But it seems that the Rolls-Royce was just one gift too many, and the bridal party left it behind,
0:38:48 > 0:38:53despite the fact that the maharaja had loaded it with fancy extras.
0:38:53 > 0:38:59His Highness ordered so many extras to be fitted to the car.
0:38:59 > 0:39:05For example, he was very keen on warning devices, so he had the original Rolls-Royce klaxon horn...
0:39:05 > 0:39:08KLAXON HORN BLARES
0:39:08 > 0:39:11..a Bosch electric horn mounted in front of the radiator...
0:39:11 > 0:39:14ELECTRIC HORN BLARES
0:39:14 > 0:39:17..a traditional boa constrictor horn...
0:39:17 > 0:39:19BOA CONSTRICTOR HORN RASPS
0:39:19 > 0:39:25Those three warning devices were for clearing human riff-raff out of the way.
0:39:25 > 0:39:32Should, however, a sacred cow block your way, it was considered much more respectful to use your bell.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34BELL RINGS
0:39:36 > 0:39:41On the front of the car there is a very large bumper, and I assume that
0:39:41 > 0:39:46if the sacred cow did not move out of the way, it was given a gentle nudge.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58All of Barakpur's flamboyant Rolls-Royces had treble bumpers
0:39:58 > 0:40:01and horn racks mounted in front of the radiators.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09The maharaja's passion for these cars nearly ruined his state,
0:40:09 > 0:40:14and the British would probably have deposed him if he hadn't died young in 1929.
0:40:17 > 0:40:23I think it's fair to say that the Maharaja of Barakpur was one of just very few who actually gave
0:40:23 > 0:40:27the princes a bad name in the late colonial period.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32Gandhi himself had actually expressed admiration for many of
0:40:32 > 0:40:40the princely administrations but his disciple and successor, Nehru, was a committed republican,
0:40:40 > 0:40:48with the effect that an India with Nehru at the helm was an India that had no place for the princes.
0:40:51 > 0:40:59The writing was on the wall, but the maharajas ignored it and the Rolls-Royces kept on coming.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04This streamlined Phantom II Continental is a fine example of
0:41:04 > 0:41:08the company's increasingly sophisticated 1930s cars.
0:41:16 > 0:41:23With underslung rear suspension, Phantom IIs could carry lower, more rakish body styles.
0:41:23 > 0:41:30This car was delivered to one of Rajasthan's most powerful maharajas as late as 1936.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36The Rolls-Royce archive shows that it was built for the Maharaja of Jodhpur
0:41:36 > 0:41:40in 1935, ordered in 1935, delivered in 1936.
0:41:40 > 0:41:47From what I hear, it was manufactured for the maharaja's mistress at the time, and by the time
0:41:47 > 0:41:51that the car arrived, which was about a year after it was ordered,
0:41:51 > 0:41:57he had apparently fallen out with the mistress and so the car was just parked and never really used.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02By now, as millions of their countrymen were dreaming of an independent India,
0:42:02 > 0:42:06the reputation of the princely rulers had been tarnished.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14There had been a succession of scandals.
0:42:17 > 0:42:22There was a famous case in the 1920s in which a prostitute
0:42:22 > 0:42:26blackmailed a mysterious Mr A, but it was
0:42:26 > 0:42:31widely known that this was the heir to the Kashmir throne, Hari Singh.
0:42:38 > 0:42:44Meanwhile, the ruler of Alwar was variously described by British officials as "a modern Caligula"
0:42:44 > 0:42:49and "sinister beyond belief".
0:42:49 > 0:42:53Another story about the Maharaja of Alwar, who incidentally is said to
0:42:53 > 0:43:00have used old ladies as tiger bait, is that he was once poorly received in a Rolls-Royce showroom in London.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04Later that day, he sent one of his lackeys back to the showroom
0:43:04 > 0:43:06with instructions to buy all the cars.
0:43:06 > 0:43:11They were then shipped off to India, where they were promptly converted to dustbin trucks.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13Is it true? Who knows?
0:43:13 > 0:43:17But it's a good story to illustrate the kind of extravagant gestures
0:43:17 > 0:43:20that the Indian maharajas were known for at the time.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27While the maharajas' reputations were under scrutiny,
0:43:27 > 0:43:30the Rolls-Royce company was facing a different threat.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36By the time the sophisticated Phantom III model
0:43:36 > 0:43:43was introduced in 1936, there was stiff competition from the American manufacturers.
0:43:43 > 0:43:48Rolls-Royce, in all respects, was a heavy car
0:43:48 > 0:43:52and at times the maharajas found that the bulkiness of the car,
0:43:52 > 0:43:57although it outperformed a lot of other cars in a similar category, was still a heavy car.
0:43:57 > 0:44:03When the Americans came in with the lightweight tourers, the maharajas found that
0:44:03 > 0:44:09these cars were easier to drive, were very reliable, too, and at the same time,
0:44:09 > 0:44:14if you bought one Rolls-Royce, you could buy four of these cars.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16That's how these cars became popular.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20The maharajas thought, "Why should I buy one Rolls-Royce? Let me buy four Fords."
0:44:23 > 0:44:29But a Rolls-Royce was still a Rolls-Royce and still claimed to be the best car in the world.
0:44:29 > 0:44:36# There's a somebody I'm longing to see
0:44:36 > 0:44:38# I hope that he
0:44:38 > 0:44:41# Turns out to be
0:44:41 > 0:44:47# The one to watch over me... #
0:44:47 > 0:44:54April 1957, and as Europe edged ever closer to war, Rolls-Royces were still being imported to India.
0:44:55 > 0:45:00This magnificent tourer was built for an Indian prince, with its distinctive body style
0:45:00 > 0:45:05from the fashionable Gurney Nutting coach works of Chelsea, SW3.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08# Although he may not be the man... #
0:45:08 > 0:45:14With spats covering the rear wheels and rich cream paintwork, it's a restrained English version of
0:45:14 > 0:45:17Parisian and Hollywood styles of the time.
0:45:28 > 0:45:29PEACOCK CRIES
0:45:29 > 0:45:32PEACOCK CRIES
0:45:34 > 0:45:41By now, the light of the British Raj was fading fast, and so was the power of the princes.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45Too late, they realised that their world was about to change beyond all recognition.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55As five years of war raged across the world,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58the British Government prepared to relinquish its hold on India.
0:46:02 > 0:46:08Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny.
0:46:08 > 0:46:14At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps,
0:46:14 > 0:46:16India will awake to life and freedom.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19APPLAUSE
0:46:19 > 0:46:24CHEERING
0:46:29 > 0:46:34As Nehru's words rang out on August 15th, 1947, independent India was born and
0:46:34 > 0:46:39the final chapters in Rolls-Royce's Indian story began.
0:46:42 > 0:46:48Almost overnight, the rule of the maharajas was replaced by a democratic government
0:46:48 > 0:46:50and any desire for luxury cars evaporated.
0:46:56 > 0:47:01Rolls-Royce closed its Indian showrooms in the early 1950s
0:47:01 > 0:47:04and sales in the sub-continent all but disappeared.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14India's largest vintage car collection in Gujarat is
0:47:14 > 0:47:18a microcosm of the country's rich automotive history.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22The collection's owner, Pranlal Bhogilal,
0:47:22 > 0:47:29bought many of them from maharajas who started to sell them off in the 1950s after independence.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32It was a time when
0:47:32 > 0:47:35maharajas were feeling great pressure
0:47:35 > 0:47:39because they had really no use because the court life had ended.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42They had really no use for these huge cars.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46They were difficult to maintain and the privileges had gone,
0:47:46 > 0:47:51their incomes had diminished.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55I think they were also not in a frame of mind to use these cars.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59It was a depressing state at the time,
0:47:59 > 0:48:02and that's how the collection started.
0:48:03 > 0:48:11Pranlal Bhogilal's collection is by far the largest in India, with more than 250 cars.
0:48:11 > 0:48:17Among them are 20 of the 840 Rolls-Royces that were exported to India before independence.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Where are the rest?
0:48:31 > 0:48:36Out of the 840 cars, I would say India has about 200 cars.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39Most of the cars have been scrapped
0:48:39 > 0:48:45and some part, I would say another 250 to 300 cars, were exported out of the country.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49But I would say 300 plus cars got scrapped,
0:48:49 > 0:48:51went to the junkyards.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56In an effort to protect its motoring heritage,
0:48:56 > 0:49:01the government of India banned the export of vintage cars in 1972.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03But up until then it was a free-for-all.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10The princes at that stage were not interested.
0:49:10 > 0:49:15Some of them were, if it had belonged to
0:49:15 > 0:49:19his grandfather, he didn't want to sell it, and that sort of thing.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23But otherwise, a lot of them got rid of them and
0:49:23 > 0:49:28you could buy a Rolls-Royce for 2,000 rupees, and some went for even less.
0:49:28 > 0:49:35You could find dozens and dozens of cars all over the place for nothing.
0:49:36 > 0:49:412,000 rupees is about £25 in today's money.
0:49:41 > 0:49:47European car collectors in the '60s and early '70s couldn't get enough of these inexpensive Rolls-Royces
0:49:47 > 0:49:51coming out of India still in completely unspoilt condition.
0:49:51 > 0:49:57But even after the ban in the early 1970s, a number of unscrupulous individuals still managed to smuggle
0:49:57 > 0:50:01cars out of India, dismantled and labelled as machine parts.
0:50:12 > 0:50:18This 1930 Phantom II wasn't smuggled to its present home in Wiltshire,
0:50:18 > 0:50:20but it did have an unusual journey to get here.
0:50:38 > 0:50:45The story begins with a honeymoon of the Honourable Patrick and Lady Annabel Lindsay
0:50:45 > 0:50:48in Jaipur, Rajasthan in December 1955.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59We had the most wonderful, wonderful time.
0:50:59 > 0:51:05While we were there, my husband admired all the cars - there were
0:51:05 > 0:51:08lots of cars - and they were in garages and all over the place.
0:51:08 > 0:51:15Patrick's always been a car enthusiast, and the maharaja said to him, as he admired
0:51:15 > 0:51:19this enormous great Rolls-Royce, "Well, you can have it, if you drive it back to England."
0:51:19 > 0:51:27So, years later, he turned up on the doorstep and he said, "Fine, take it." So he took it.
0:51:30 > 0:51:37In 1962, Patrick Lindsay and his friend, Ian Graham, arrived in Jaipur to collect the car.
0:51:39 > 0:51:46After some routine maintenance, they set out for London, passing into Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass
0:51:46 > 0:51:48and stopping by the Buddhas of Bamiyan.
0:51:52 > 0:51:58I think we were extraordinarily lucky to have seen everything before it all was sent to smithereens.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02It was the greatest trip of my life.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04I couldn't have expected anything
0:52:04 > 0:52:07more educative or exciting
0:52:07 > 0:52:14or productive in getting this marvellous car back and
0:52:14 > 0:52:18giving it a good home.
0:52:18 > 0:52:25We gave one or two lifts to people on the way, who looked as if they weren't going to cause us any harm.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29It was a trouble-free trip.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32It was quite amazing. Once, we got the oil changed.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36After that we didn't have to do anything new.
0:52:38 > 0:52:44The car made it as far as Basra, more than 2,500 road miles from Jaipur,
0:52:44 > 0:52:47and it was shipped back to London from there.
0:52:52 > 0:52:58During its 80-year lifetime, this car has travelled a full circle,
0:52:58 > 0:53:03from the works in Derby to the royal garage in Jaipur,
0:53:03 > 0:53:06and back home again,
0:53:06 > 0:53:11a journey that brings to a close the story of Rolls-Royce in India.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29For the first 50 years of the 20th century, Rolls-Royce cars
0:53:29 > 0:53:33played their part as symbols of the power of the maharajas.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37They bore witness to the complex relationship between India and Britain.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46Some of the cars are well looked after,
0:53:46 > 0:53:48some have disappeared
0:53:48 > 0:53:52and still more are yet to be discovered.
0:53:56 > 0:54:02What's clear is that the maharajas' motor car has lost none of its timeless appeal.
0:54:04 > 0:54:10Through all these decades, the Rolls-Royce name has endured in India, and I think it still
0:54:10 > 0:54:16symbolises prestige and wealth as it did in the time of the maharajas.
0:54:18 > 0:54:22When you look at one of these unspoilt Rolls-Royces, one of these
0:54:22 > 0:54:29survivors from this golden era, they really provide you with a window onto a period of glamour,
0:54:29 > 0:54:35extravagance and in many ways romance, I think the likes of which we'll never see again.
0:54:40 > 0:54:45It makes a statement that you have arrived.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48And that's perhaps,
0:54:48 > 0:54:50in a nutshell,
0:54:50 > 0:54:52what Rolls-Royce means to most of us.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57And it automatically provides you with an identity.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07Across India, times are changing
0:55:07 > 0:55:10and the reign of the maharajas is a distant memory.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16Their surviving cars are relics of a forgotten time and place,
0:55:16 > 0:55:21when one manufacture's mechanical elephant held India in its thrall.
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