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| Manjusha vintage car museum, Dharmashala, Karnataka tourmet.com. |
A visitor to the Shiva temple at Dharmasthala, about 75 kms from Mangalore city and 101 miles from Udupi on the west coast, can not miss the Manjusha vintage car museum, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of a big city in a secluded and serene place.
With humble front entrance after getting inside wonderful, catchy and well-organized car museum, you will be struck by the variety of old cars of Europe and America in different shapes and sizes, made in the early 20th century that majestically roamed the roads, particularly in the then princely states. Many of them on display at the museum are in good condition. Being a staunch Hindu Dr. Hegade says, "I have a Commitment to Convince my God, through my deeds and not by my words" ....
02. The first official auto race in the world was a 732 mile, round trip race, in the Paris – Bordeaux–Paris race couse. The first race in the U.S. was the six car, 54.36 mile race from Chicago’s Jackson Park to Evanston, Illinois and back. Racing gave a fillip to better inventions that assisted in improvements to the automotive industry.
03. Post vintage cars are those made from 1st January, 1931 to the start of World War 2 (September, 1939). Antique cars are all cars made up to September, 1939 which was the start of World War 2. Modern cars were made after 31 December, 1959.
04. The 1904 Rolls-Royce, 10 hp Two-Seater is currently listed on the Guinness World Records as the most expensive veteran car ever to be sold, at the price of US$7,254,290 ($8,278,809 in 2015), at Bonhams.
05. In 2008, US TV presenter and radio personality Chris Evans broke a twenty-one-year-old record, when he successfully placed a bid for a Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider that once owned by James Coburn, Hollywood actor well known for his westerns.
06. In 1973 a Mercedes-Benz 770 F-Cabriolet that stated to be the parade limousine of Adolf Hitler was sold for a then record of US$153,000 ($815,579 in 2015),[18][19] surpassing the previous record held by a Duesenberg Model J Victoria that belonged to Greta Garbo, Hollywood actress at US$90,000 ($509,141 in 2015).
07. The white 1993 Ford Bronco, that was involved in the chase between famous O. J. Simpson(of Buffallo Bills Football team; he was in serious financial trouble in the 1980s and was involved in the murder of his finance) and LAPD, was sold for $75,000 in 2004, almost twice its original value, ten years after the incident.
08. The similar four-stroke diesel engine was invented by Rudolf Diesel. The hydrogen fuel cell, one of the technologies hailed as a replacement for gasoline as an alternative energy source for cars, was discovered in principle by Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1838.
09. The first carriage-sized automobile suitable for use on existing wagon roads in the United States was a steam powered vehicle invented in 1871, by Dr. J.W. Carhart, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in Racine, Wisconsin.
10. The first company formed exclusively dedicated to building automobiles was Panhard et Levassor in France. Yjis compny also introduced the first four-cylinder engine. Formed in 1889, Panhard was quickly followed by Peugeot two years later. In 1898, Louis Renault had a De Dion-Bouton modified, with fixed drive shaft and differential, making "perhaps the first hot rod in history" and bringing Renault and his brothers into the car industry and making it more visible..
11. In the early start of 20th century, the automobile industry was beginning to take off in Western Europe, especially in France, where 30,204 were produced in 1903, representing 48.8% of world automobile production that year.
12. Introduction ''drum brakes'' by Renault in 1902 was yet another triumph in the auto industry.
13. It was Preston Tucker who put forward his idea of an American-made vehicle in the 1920s and inspired the idea of a rear-motor and individual torque converters. He went on designing a safety car with innovative features and modern styling.
14. In the 1950s: The Volkswagen Beetle continued production after Hitler and began exports to other nations, including the U.S. It was, otherwise, known as people's car with rear engine. Same time, Nash introduced the Nash Rambler, the first successful modern compact car made in the U.S., while the standard models produced by the "Big Three" domestic automakers grew ever larger in size, featured increasing amounts of chrome trim, and luxury was exemplified by the Cadillac Eldorado.
Presented below are some of the rare old cars that one can not see on the Indian roads.
bankshift.com
Vintage car Manjusha Museum, Dharmasthala, Karnataka, Southern India has an excellent collection old cars. I suppose there are more than 50 vehicles in the exhibition hall in perfect working conditions. When I visited this place more than decade ago with my family and kids visitors were not allowed to take photos. com
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| 1903 Renault ( 1 Cyl., 4.5 HP).www.team-bhp.com |
Above image: Considered as one of the oldest running cars in India, it was owned by the Maharajah of Bikaner. It features a Type D, De Dion Bouton engine and has a double phaeton body style. Restoration was done in Bangalore.
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| 1928 Nash |
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| 1928 Nash |
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| 1928 Nash Special Six Rumble Seat Coupe 6 Cyl., 20 HP, .team-bhp.com |
Above image: This is a very rare car as very few this vintage cars survive in India. This car was rescued from a farmer in Shimoga Dist., who had converted it into a pick up! Fortunately, the farmer had retained most of the parts and hence this car was restored to its former glory.
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| 1925 Fiat (4 Cyl., 10.50 HP. MSC 354).www.team-bhp.com |
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| English Car Vauxhall 20/60 .team-bhp.com |
| Above image: This Vauxhall 20/60 is the first major launch after the acquisition of Vauxhall by General Motors in 1925. The car is again a rare car one has a partition glass. The color is to get attention as per note. The Vauxhall has a fluted bonnet |
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| Chevrolet Van (4 Cyl. 21 HP, BYF 7820).www.team-bhp.com |
Above image: The yellow van next to the ambulance. Details are not available about this vehicle.
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| www.team-bhp.com 1935 Sunbeam (6 Cyl., 22 HP, GJB 3617). According to information regarding this cute looking car with spare tire fixed on the right side door, this Sunbeam hunting tourer with special body by Brooks with powerful hunting lights and glass fittings was custom built for the Maharajah of Kolhapur, Maharashtra. It, is believed, that the Maharajah stopped using this car for hunting adventures because he narrowly escaped from the claws of death when a ferocious tiger, that he was chasing, all of a sudden almost jumped into the car! Since that incident, sentimentally he had begun to use expensive Maybach, a German car for hunting. The car was brought from Gujarat to Bangalore and restored in Bangalore before sold to the museum. The car was complete and very original and even had the original leather box in the rear. Definitely one of the top cars of the museum. It is mentioned this picture was taken at Bangalore before the car was sold to the museum |
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www.team-bhp.com 1936 Adler Trumpf Junior Kabrio (4 Cyl., 25 HP, BYJ 1791) Adler, with a front wheel drive, was one of Germany's little known pre-war car producer. The company introduced the Junior in 1934 and production stopped in 1940. It was brought from Mumbai. |
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| www.team-bhp.com |
Manjusha Vintage car museum, Dharmasthala, Karnataka - an array of vintage cars in the show room.
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| www.theautomotiveindia.com |
Austin, 1933, Made in England, Saloon type of body; common man's car.
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| www.theautomotiveindia. com Morris Oxford, 1930 model.4 cylinder car. 14.9 HP collected from Sirsi, Karnataka, India. Widely used to carry devotees to Dharmasthala in the 1940s. |
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| www.theautomotiveindia.com |
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| 1930 Morris Oxford (4 Cyl. 15 HP, MYE 204)..team-bhp.com The note cited that this car was collected from Sirsi, Karnataka and used to carry carry devotees to Dharmathala as a taxi in 1940's. Based on \https://www.navrangindia.in/2015/11/old-is-gold-vintage-car-museum.html (par 1 & 2) |
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