A Guide to Driving Deco in India

Throughout the last century, automobile design has borrowed from contemporary developments in art, science and industry, naval and aeronautical construction, and, of course, architecture. In the 1930s, widely considered a golden age for the automotive industry, technological and design developments first announced the arrival of the car as a luxurious, ultra comfortable, means of private transportation. Pioneered by the French, Art Deco themes and features began to dominate automotive styling, a trend really taken to the world by the Americans who mastered the art of volume production. In India, automobile enthusiasts amongst the royalty and landed gentry were also swept up by these latest global trends.

Known for its revolutionary technological advances and cutting edge design, the 1936 Cord 810 was styled by visionary designer Gordon Miller Buehrig, who was responsible for many innovations in automobile design that we take for granted today. For instance, the Cord 810 was the first American designed and built car to offer front wheel drive via a semi-automatic transmission and independent front suspension. This layout gave the car a low slung, sportier stance. By 1937 a supercharging option was added, though production ceased soon after. The meticulously restored 1936 Cord 810 featured here is in Mumbai.

Designed by Dutch-born American stylist Jon Tjaarda, the 1936 Zephyr was Lincoln’s successful response to a growing market for streamlined automobiles. In fact, the Zephyr succeeded where the Chrysler Airflow had failed. Named for the Greek god of Wind, the car’s sleek, futuristic streamlining and low coefficient of drag reflects Tjaarda’s formative training in aeronautical design. Prior to the Zephyr, Tjaarda had conceptualized other futuristic designs for a streamlined automobile, but the Zephyr was the only one to make it to production. Sealing its market popularity was a powerful, refined V12 engine, when most of the competition offered an eight-cylinder motor.

French marques like Bugatti, Hispano-Suiza, Delahaye, Delage and Avions Voisin supplied bespoke, hand-built, luxury cars, featuring avant garde Art Deco design elements, to Europe’s discerning elite. Working with a bare chassis, specialist coachbuilders would design and construct the body tailored to the customer’s exact specifications. At the top of the French trade were names like Saoutchik, Kellner, Chapron, Carrosserie Pourtout and Figoni et Falaschi, master craftsmen known for their graceful, flowing designs. Falaschi cars command millions of dollars today – amongst the most prized catches for the discerning collector. They were presented which much fanfare at international concours, often paired with a model draped in the latest high fashion. A handful of cars even made it to India, the most stunning being a 1939 135MS model, which has been with the Jodhpur royal family for decades – blood red and in fine running condition. 

The 1930s Rolls-Royce had a reputation of high quality engineering, refinement and reliability. Only the best coachbuilders were commissioned to build bodies to match the car – Hooper & Co., Barker & Co., H.J. Mulliner & Co., Park Ward & Co. and Freestone & Webb were some popular names, along with J Gurney Nutting & Co Limited. Known for their understated and elegant designs, J Gurney Nutting was patronized by many of India's Maharajas and landed gentry for their purchases - the car featured here was one of them, ordered for the Maharaja of Jodhpur. The car is in now in long term ownership in Mumbai and has undergone a complete purist’s restoration.