The
Indian Delahaye connection can be traced to a Frenchman named Jourele.
This particularly eccentric Parisian was very fond of travelling to exotic
destinations and in his castle in Brittany he had recreated an exotic
jungle replete with zebras, wildebeests, monkeys, pink floyds and the
like. In fact the French government has now turned the place into a wild
life reserve and mini zoo.
Getting back to the car, Jourele purchased a Delahaye 135MS (chassis number
#60217) and ordered coachwork from Figoni & Falaschi (dated March
27, 1939 as per the entries in the F&F register) in the cabriolet
style. Anticipating the imminent outbreak of World War II, Jourele along
with his wife (some say mistress) set sail for India along with the Delahaye
135. Actually Jourele also brought along a 4-cylinder Delahaye but what
happened to it remains a mystery. Thanks to his wife's rather lavish lifestyle,
Jourele was forced to sell off both the cars and the Type 135 wound its
way to the Prince of Barar's (a state near Hyderabad) collection. The
car later found itself at Bacchu Motors in Mumbai from where it was picked
up by Maharaj Hanwat Singh of Jodhpur. It was thus only in the fifties
that the car reached Jodhpur. With the Maharaj's death, the car passed
into the hands of his eldest son Maharaj Himmat Singh who mothballed the
car.
How it passed into the present owner's hands is an interesting story.
Maharaj Himmat Singh's younger brother Maharaj Dalip Singh wanted a flash
sports car to go to college in and had already been to Bombay to check
out some cars. And since he was a particularly enthusiastic rider, had
been banned from riding bikes by his sisters. Himmat Singh on the other
hand needed a Jeep (all the rage at that time) which Dalip was using and
over a few drinks the Delahaye was exchanged for a Willys Jeep!
Things were not so rosy for Dalip since the Delahaye's complex Cotal electro-mechanical
gearbox was not working and getting it repaired was proving to be a Herculean
task. Finally an electrician in Jodhpur managed to repair the 'box and
has been working perfectly ever since then. |
February
2003 