A Lanchester car built for an Indian Maharaja almost 100 hundred years ago will be going up for auction and is expected to sell for approximately £100,000.
The Maharaja of Rewa once owned the thirty eight horsepower State Limousine, capable of a speed of 60mph. It was made in 1912 with a fan incorporated in the roof, plus a purpose built servants door and was bought for the princely sum of £1200, the equivalent cost of an entire row of houses at the time.
As the Maharaja enjoyed driving the car himself, the vehicle was designed with a gap on the passenger side which was specifically requested so that the chauffeur could put his feet on the running board whilst sitting on the floor.
Multiple Lanchester cars were ordered in India and this particular model has a detachable roof which was used to convert it into an open tourer. It features a ‘fat man’ steering wheel, which is a collapsible steering wheel making it easier for larger people to enter and exit the vehicle.
The seats are made of leather and the engine is sited between the passenger and drivers seats. The windows lower in the same way a train’s windows do. Only two years previously Lanchester vehicles had tillers rather than steering wheels.
The model going under the hammer is the earliest example of only 3 known Lanchester 38hp cars to be in existence. The car returned to the UK in the 1960’s and has since been restored to its former glory.