Motor Cars During The British India Era, 1949 Postcard

Motor Cars During The British India Era, 1949 Postcard

A 1949 postcard of motor cars during the British India era. Two vehicles are seen parked in front of Bombay’s (Mumbai) Town Hall. One seems to be a Buick and the other a Hindustan Ten (in the shade). It is presumed that the first car that was imported into India was in 1897. Although there are no exact records, it was said to have arrived in Calcutta (Kolkata). Since then, motor vehicles have been here to stay.

Wealthy Parsi businessmen and Maharajas were the leading buyers. It was no surprise that by the 1920s to 1940s India had one of the highest numbers of Rolls-Royces in the world. About the Hindustan Ten, it was the first car brought out by Hindustan Motors in 1949 in collaboration with Morris Motors, UK. It was the exact copy of the Morris Ten car.

Subsequently progressing to the ‘Baby’ Hindustan (Morris Minor), later into the larger Hindustan ‘Fourteen’. The ‘Fourteen’ gave way to the predecessor of the Ambassador, the ‘Landmaster’, and was finally replaced by the ‘Ambassador’ in 1957. This versatile car was in production till 2014, and it remained a beloved car of the Indian market for 57 years. Bombay’s famous Town Hall was designed by Colonel Thomas Cowper of the Bombay Engineers; it had a neoclassical architectural design. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Did you know- the first car in India was possibly a French model, DeDion, that left residents terrified, as per newspaper reports 

From the collection- Raja Ravi Varma Commemorative Stamp Folder., 1974 News Photo Cochin Fishing Nets., Vasco Da Gama Before The Zamorin Calicut – Old Postcard., Construction Of The Mullaperiyar Dam Kerala, 1892 Print