One of India's most prolific classic car collectors, Dr Ravi Prakash, will be making his UK concours debut at Salon Privé on 2 September. Prakash will be bringing two vintage cars from his 225-strong collection: a 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I and a 1930 Delage D8S.
The Phantom I was originally consigned to Rippon Bros, in Yorkshire, but then found its way to the Maharani of Cooch Behar, West Bengal. Before being shipped to India, it was given enclosed limousine coachwork by Maythorn & Sons and was also specified with Dunlop steel artillery wheels, a 90mph speedometer and Smiths eight-day clock.
The Delage was also purchased in England, this time by Maharaja Yeswanth Rao Holkar II of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, who became fascinated with the Art Deco movement during a visit to the London Motor Show in 1930. The Figoni-bodied D8S, which had previously starred at the 1930 Paris Auto Salon, was shipped to India along with £4m-worth of furniture.
Dr Prakash's collection comprises 225 cars, 60 motorcycles, horseless carriages and bicycles and is housed on the outskirts of Bangalore. His interest in vintage cars was initially triggered by General Mahadevan, a commander in the Indian army who bequeathed him a 1937 Sunbeam-Talbot 2-litre Sports Tourer in 1979.
"Ever since I acquired my first car over three decades ago I've not looked back," said Dr Prakash. "My love of classic cars borders on obsession at times."
