Rolls-Royce GLK 21 wins at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in News!

Rolls-Royce GLK 21 going off to Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance covered by Media

'The Lucius Beebe Trophy' won by Arvind Singh Mewar's GLK21 20hp RR at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2012

The Royal Udaipur Rolls-Royce GLK 21 Proud Winner of 'The Lucius Beebe Trophy' with Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, Princess Padmaja Kumari Parmar & Dr. Kush Singh Parmar at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on 19th August 2012

Unique Identification Marks of the Rolls-Royce GLK 21

India is a very unique country, unlike any other on the planet. And the cars that were purchased and ordered by our Maharanas or Maharajas were also quite distinctive, as was the Roll-Royce 20 HP GLK 21 of Mewar.

Barker was specially commissioned to build its tourer-style body and the car still sports the original plate reading ‘Coachwork by Barker’. It also has a Barker ‘Body No. 546’ plate along with the original chassis number and new engine number plates. There is even a plate that shows the Roll-Royce radiator and bonnet numbers. Of course, all the original instruments with their various markings are intact as are the wheel hubs.

Being a car owned by a princely state of India and used by Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, RR GLK 21 is also adorned with the state flags, lights and emblems.

Right behind the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy mascot there’s a flag of the State of Mewar bearing the symbol of Surya, the Sun god, from whom the Mewar dynasty traces its origins. In fact, several other flags with the symbol of the Sun can be found on RR GLK 21. There are also prominent red plates with this symbol mounted on the bumper, fenders, etc. The lights too are very unique, bearing the symbol of the Sun. These lights are generally switched on when the Maharana is himself seated in the car. In the past, this helped the subjects of the state to pay their respects to the ruler and if someone waved out, very often the Maharana would stop to greet and hear them out. In fact, much of the state’s business was conducted with the people standing on the running boards and sharing their grievances or problems with their ruler and justice was delivered by the Maharana almost instantly.

http://www.royalcarsofudaipur.org/Restoration.aspx?pageid=2# for more details on the unique identification marks of the royal car!

Restoration and Resurrection of Rolls-Royce GLK 21

RR GLK 21 was cannibalized and its engine put in RR 42 GO. The engine from 42 GO was in turn put in GLK 21, but it was in need of work and moreover it did not match with the gearbox. As a result, RR GLK 21 lay unused and almost forgotten for over half-a-century in the City Palace, Udaipur.

Then in the year 1999, it came to the notice of Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar. He asked his Palace Motor Garage to take full stock of the Roll-Royce 20 HP with Barker body and chassis no. GLK 21. A list of all available and missing parts was made. The work required to restore it was also listed and at the same time restoration experts in both India and the UK were contacted.

Finally, it was M/s Hofmann’s of Henley who were given the job of overseeing the project and they put Rolls-Royce restoration expert Graham Ashley-Carter in charge of this assignment. Andrew Wood, an engineering expert and founder of the UK Roll-Royce specialist company P&A Woods, was also roped in to help out as were people like John Fasal, noted Roll-Royce historian and author of books like Rolls-Royce Twenty.

Each one contributed in his own way. The engine, originally from RR 42 GO, was first removed and stored in the palace garage, where it resides even today along with other original parts like its spark plugs, rocker shaft assembly, push rods, connecting rods, camshaft gear, etc.

A new engine bearing number G1135 and a gearbox bearing no. G834 was procured in the UK. The RR GLK 21’s original gearbox was also sent to Ashley-Carter in the UK to make modifications for it to match and mate if required with the engine. Then started the detailed and slow process of completely stripping down RR GLK 21. The radiator and some other parts were sent to the UK for complete overhaul and restoration. New leaf springs, new shackle pins, exhaust system, etc., were procured from the UK and new tyres from New Zealand. The switch box was overhauled and a  new key made. Ashley-Carter insisted that to preserve the value and appearance of the car all the plating should be done in nickel and not chrome. Some of the work was outsourced to the UK and the rest was ably carried out in the Palace Motor Garage by the team of Anu Vikram Singh, Keeper, Vintage and Classic Car Collection (VCCC), Udaipur, Surendra Singh, mechanic, VCCC, Manoj Sen, assistant, Rajendra Sen, assistant mechanic and Mohan Lal Lohar, denting specialist.

There was lots of work to be done. The oil pressure gauge was overhauled and recalibrated; brakes were overhauled as was the speedometer cable that originally belonged to RR 42 GO. The petrol tank and wheels were opened up and serviced thoroughly. Denting and body work was done wherever required. At the same time, the full upholstery was being done in leather and the body prepared for a fresh coat of paint. The new engine, gearbox, exhaust system were installed as were the new springs and complete suspension.

In October 2005, Winston Teague and David Aston of Hofmann’s of Henley travelled to Udaipur to do the complete electrical overhaul. They overhauled the fuse box and the rewired the full electrical system. The starter was overhauled and new taillights, wiper motor, wiper arms and blades were refitted.

The RR GLK 21 also had a hand lamp or spotlight that could be manually adjusted by a lever at the back. It was very useful for shikar, which was very popular in India in the early 20th century. This lamp was an extra fitment ordered specially for India and it was made by Stephen Grebel of Paris. This spotlight was also completely stripped and restored as was the Klaxon horn.

The carburettor was also restored and the car painted powder blue, with the mudguard sprayed dark blue and the wheels black—the original factory colour combination. Then in the presence of Ashley-Carter, RR GLK 21 was fired up for the first time in almost 70 years, which it did the first time around—a truly historical moment! Ashley-Carter then undertook road trails in and around Udaipur and did a full tune-up and made final adjustments and settings.

Finally, it was time for RR GLK 21 to be adorned with the Udaipur coat of arms, state flags, license plates, ceremonial light, etc. After a restoration process that took around seven to eight years, RR GLK 21 was finally resurrected and took pride of place in the Udaipur palace garage. It was as if RR GLK 21, the Rolls-Royce 20 HP that had been bought purely as a source of spare parts for RR 42 GO, had been vindicated and was now making a miraculous comeback by ‘rising from the ashes like the phoenix’.

For more details, http://www.royalcarsofudaipur.org/Restoration.aspx

Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar with Rolls-Royce GLK 21 at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2012 in , California, USA!

Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar with Rolls-Royce GLK 21 at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2012 in , California, USA!

The event starts today! Stay glued to the page for updates!

To know all about the event and our royal pride, Rolls-Royce GLK 21- www.royalcarsofudaipur.org