In India, during the 1920s and 1930s the automobiles of the Maharajas were of the most extravagant kinds: amazing shapes, extraordinary accessories, flamboyant colours. To stand out, the Indian princes resorted to every possible option to be the most original.For the first time in Europe, fifteen automotive jewels of the Maharajas will be strutting their stuff at Paris’ Retromobile Salon this week Amongst these fascinating line-up will be the incredible Swan Car of the Maharaja of Nabha, several polished aluminium Rolls-Royces, car for hunting tigers and ceremonial cars

1910 Brooke Swan and 1930 Cygnet"Women screamed. Carriages went careering off the road. Water buffalo, oxen, goats, donkeys, elephants, camels and natives, after one glance, took off at top speed in every direction," ran a report in a Calcutta newspaper of April 1910, describing the effect a certain automobile had on the people of the city. It was a strange piece of rolling fantasy that had not just the hoi polloi, but also the rich, the aristocracy and the gentry of the city astounded. The brainchild of a wealthy and eccentric resident of Calcutta, Robert Nicholl "Scotty"Matthewson, the Swan Car was one crazy device.The who's who of Calcutta wasn't amused and the Swan Car was banned from the city's roads. Mathewson, who had spent the considerable sum of £10-15,000 (as much as six new Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts those days) decided to sell his pride, to the maharajah of Nabha. Soon after, the maharaja developed the Cygnet, a smaller single seater electric version for drivingaround in his estate.These two cars are now part of prestigious Louwman Collection, at The Hague.

1930 Delage D8“One drives, of course, an Alfa Romeo; one is driven in a Rolls, but one gives only a Delage to one’s favorite mistress.” had proffered, Hollywood star Peter Ustinov – a Delage addict –. Bought at the Paris Salon of 1930, by Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar of Indore, this car was repainted a unique combination of glistening ochre and black.After the death of the Maharaja, his son, Richard Holkar, was unsuccessful in restoring the car, which had been left in an ice factory. But no story is complete without a happy ending.Prominent Indian collector Dr Ravi Prakash acquired the car and spent another grueling five years researching, sourcing and fabricating the missing parts. Finally in 2006 this splendid machine was ready to roll once again, showcasing French elegance at its ultimate.• Bodywork Figoni• Semi-elliptic springs suspension front

1930 Mercedes-Benz SSBased on a shortened and lowered Type 630 chassis, the Mercedes-Benz Type SS Super Sports was the supercar of its day. Bought at the Paris salon of 1930, by the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Sir Hari Singh, the car was converted to right-hand drive by the factory and wasdisplayed at the 1931 edition of the Berlin motor show before it was shipped out to India.The car stayed with the family till 1972, when it was acquired by a dealer and the car left India. The Mercedes- Benz museum acquired the car when the car came up for sale in Germany, after the last buyer had bought car from Australia.

1938 Delahaye 135 Figoni & FalaschiOrdered by well known explorer and businessman Paul Jourde, a personal friend of Joseph Figoni, this car is one of 11 built, andtoday is one of three surviving cars built on the standard wheelbase. In 1939, the car was shipped to Bombay. Jourde’s Delahayewas soon purchased by an Indian prince, in all likelihood, the Maharaja of Nawanager. He sold it some years later to the Maharaja ofJaipur. Subsequently, the car was sold again and it fell from sight and into neglect. When it was finally rediscovered in 1982, it was sitting on wooden blocks in a garden shed in Indore. An English dealer bought it in the mid-1980s and had it shipped to England, where it underwent a complete restoration.In 1989, the car was taken to France and shown at the Bagatelle Concours d’Élégance, where it won First in Class, and Retromobile, where it won Best of Show. It competed in the 1992 Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance in the Delahaye exhibition, after which it was purchased by Peter Mullin, and since then has been named the Most Elegant at Los Angeles, Best of Show at Schloss Schwetzingen, and so on…

1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom INawab Wali-ud-Dowla was a scion of the Paigarh noble family, who claimed their descent from Hazrath Omar bin Al-Khattab, the second Caliphof Islam. In December 1925, Nawab Wali-ud- Dowla, placed an order with Rolls-Royce Ltd of Bombay for a very special example of the 'new'Phantom that Rolls-Royce had just introduced earlier that year.Delivered in 1926, the silver Phantom, chassis # 71DC, was lavishly equipped: its door panels were polished teak, there were two veneered folding tables in the rear compartment and a special teak cabinet between the occasional seats held a camera and field glasses, as well as water bottles. But more spectacular was the exterior. Left unpainted, the car was finished in polished aluminium. Looking positively impressive, the car became famous as 'the Silver Phantom of Hyderabad', and was soon regarded as the most beautiful car in the state.It was in 1964 that British enthusiast William Meredith-Owen, seeking to acquire an important vintage Rolls-Royce, advertised in TheTimes of India and received a reply from the family of the Nawab, indicating that they might consider selling. Meredith-Owen acquiredthe car in 1966 when it went back to England for restoration to its original condition. The Louwman Collection acquired the car in 2000and since then has been one of the crown jewels of the famous Dutch national museum.

1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I from Doctor Ravi Prakash This Rolls-Royce Phantom I used to belong to the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur. But he reigned under the Regency of his mother, Maharani Indira Raje, who actually used the car.In 1972 Swedish collector Berndt von Sydow acquired the car. He kept the car in its original nick till 1980, when a German dealer in classic cars acquired the car, and after a couple of collectors, the car was acquired by Dr RaviPrakash in 2010.

1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I-17EXRolls-Royce commissioned three experimental cars and 17EX was the last and most definitive version of the ‘sports Phantoms’. After extensive testing and development, the car was sold to the Maharaja of Kashmir, Hari Singh, who had the car brought across to Kashmir, in India. A few years later the car was acquired by P Mitter of Calcutta, who with his brothers owned some remarkable cars: 17EXshared garage space with two supercharged Duesenbergs and two Mercedes SS.17EX was used extensively by the Mitter family and then sold off. The car was rediscovered by a prominent Rolls-Royce authority, Protap Roy, in the 1960s and he sold it in the 1970s, when it left India. Acquired by Italian collector Dr Veniero Molari, the car was sold Spyker owner Victor Muller, who then sold it in auction, from where Austrian enthusiast Alexander Schaufler bought the car. With Schaufler since 2009 the car has done over 24 000km as he has been participating in various rallies and tours, other than starring at the 2012 edition of PebbleBeach.

And other wonders to discover at Parc des expositions, Porte de Versailles, Paris – Hall 1Opening times: Wednesday 11am – 10 pm, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: 10 am – 7 pm, Friday: 10am – 10 pmAdmission: Adults: 14! when purchased in advance, 16 ! at the gate. Free for children under 12.

Bibliography : Les joyaux automobiles des Maharadjahs – Gautam Sen – Editions ETAI