Maharaja’s Sunbeam Motor Car & State Elephants, 1921 Print
A 1921 British newspaper reports on the Maharaja of Travancore’s Sunbeam car and his state elephants. The image depicts a Sunbeam car and four massive elephants, accompanied by their trained mahouts. The picture is captioned – Indian Royal vehicles old and new: A Sunbeam car and the state elephants, belonging to the Maharaja of Travancore.
The Sunbeam car was prolifically used vehicle during the British India era. Similar was the case with the Buicks, Chrysler, Wolseley, Standard, and so on. The higher-end included the Daimler, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes, etc. The Sunbeam Motor Car Company Ltd was of British manufacture. It was in operation between 1905 to 1981 under different ownership.
They were at their peak in the 1920s. Sunbeam entered the world speed land records, achieving huge successes. This led to their development of high-grade engines. Despite the car’s successes, the company underwent financial losses, and it ceased production in 1981. Travancore was one of the most advanced and literate princely states in British India.
It merged with Cochin and Malabar to form the state of Kerala after independence. The maharajas of both Cochin and Travancore focused on developing their kingdoms into highly developed literate states. These two states were much more advanced when India gained independence compared to all the other princely states. Click on the photo to enlarge.
Did you know- Travancore Maharaja’s vintage Mercedes Benz car was gifted to Kerala billionaire Yusuf Ali by the maharaja’s family. Although Mercedes in Germany offered to gift two top-end cars in place of the vintage Benz, the offer was rejected by the family.
From the collection-Raja Ravi Varma Paintings Depicted In Postcards., Early Aviation Handley Page Biplane Calcutta – 2 Photos 1919., Street Scenes In British Era Bombay – 5 Postcards 1900s., The Siege of Pondicherry By The British, 1760 Newspaper.
