During the first half of the 20th century the choicest cars with the most unusual coachwork made their way to India to satisfy the varied tastes and demands of the rajas and the maharajas. Of the several thousand such cars that came to India, just a few hundred survive today. This book focuses on 70 of these and the people associated with them.

An authoritative and visually impressive study of a glamorous and historically fascinating subject. The first automobiles came to Bombay and Calcutta, and wealthy inhabitants of Calcutta - the second city of the British Empire - particularly took to them: automobile associations and motorsport sprouted there. Destiny has been unkind to Calcutta, but treasures have been discovered there in recent times: Protap Roy has unearthed some of the finest cars ever. With India's independence, the royal privileges of the rajas and maharajas disappeared, along with their titles, money and property. Just a handful - such as the maharajas of Jodhpur, Udaipur and Gondal - were able to retain their wealth by converting their palaces into luxury hotels and keeping cars bought by their ancestors. The cars of other rajas and maharajas were sold, many to opportunistic collectors in India who have, in recent decades, built up fine collections; the most famous is that of Pranlal Bhogilal, whose collection is featured in this book, along with those of Dr Ravi Prakash, Diljeet Titus and Nitin Dossa. Some of the more exceptional cars found their way to the West: those featured include the strange Brooke Swan Car that hissed steam from its 'nostrils' and a magnificent Delahaye 175 that Elton John used to own. Over 500 photos, some showing cars that have never been seen before.