One of The First Motor Cars In Colonial Era Bombay, 1900 Photo
A rare 1900 photograph captures one of the first motor cars seen in colonial-era Bombay (Mumbai). The image shows two men driving along the Colaba Reclamation Road. An area that formed part of the scenic seaside stretch near the Colaba Sea Face, possibly along what was then known as the Kennedy Sea Face.
The automobile appears to be a “horseless carriage,” the term widely used in the late 19th century for early motor vehicles. Motor cars were a remarkable novelty in India at the turn of the 20th century. Several historical accounts and newspaper reports suggest that one of the first cars seen on Indian roads may have been a French-made De Dion-Bouton. Imported by wealthy industrialists and British officials in Bombay during the 1890s.
When these early vehicles first appeared on the streets of Bombay, they created a mixture of curiosity, fascination, and fear among residents. Accustomed to horse-drawn carriages, bullock carts, and hand-pulled vehicles, many locals had never witnessed a self-propelled machine before. The noisy engines and unfamiliar sight of a carriage moving without horses reportedly startled pedestrians and animals alike.
The photograph also offers a remarkable glimpse of Bombay’s skyline at the dawn of the automobile age. Visible in the distant background are several iconic colonial landmarks, including the Rajabai Clock Tower, Victoria Terminus, the Bombay High Court, and the Secretariat Building. Click image to enlarge.
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Did you know- since petrol filling stations were not yet opened then, cans of petrol were carried in the automobile.
