Daimler Cars In India For The Maharajas, 1917 Print

A page from a 1917 newspaper features two Daimler cars of a maharaja in India. The caption reads- The Daimler In India- A shooting party at Jasumund in Udiapur, Rajputana. Maharajas had a penchant for luxury cars and had a collection ranging from 10 to 100 of them. Out of the lot, Rolls-Royce was their biggest interest and fascination. A maharaja’s class was judged by the number of Rolls-Royces he owned.

Undoubtedly, the more the merrier applied well for them. One of their main interests otherwise was hunting and owning shikar cars. The car manufacturers gladly obliged by enhancing the performance and styling of the high-end luxury vehicles for shikars. Sought-after coach builders abroad were entrusted with producing luxurious and sometimes bizarre body styles to satisfy the eccentric cravings of their illustrious patrons.

See post Nawab Of Bhopal’s Bentley Car – Old Photo 1926 (#1).

The Daimler car company merged with Benz to form a single entity – Daimler-Benz- in 1926. Karl Benz and Gotlieb Daimler both claimed to have invented the petrol-driven automobile engine. Gotlieb Daimler created his invention in 1883, and Carl Benz in 1885. By 1887, Benz started marketing his vehicles. Gotlieb died in 1900 and Carl in 1929, but both never met, although they lived within 60 miles of each other. Click on the first photo to enlarge.