The Gold 1919 Daimler of Sir Seth Hukumchand

shashanka · 25th July 2017, 17:13

Dear KPS, Karl, Kartikeyal and all the other wonderful souls involved in bringing this work to our forum's pages - there is little left to say except for conveying our best wishes to all of you for keeping the tradition of vintage car restoration alive in our country. I came upon this thread quite late but thank my stars that I did!

One cannot thank Manavendra Singh enough for doing the terrific job that he has done on the car and on so many others over the years. Many years (sometime in the early 90's I think) ago - in a fit of misplaced enthusiasm - I had the temerity to write to him & request an apprenticeship under him! Very kindly he decided not to reply and overlooked this breach of etiquette on my part!

But special appreciation & kudos are owed to Christopher Rodricks for the near miracle he has pulled off in restoring the Knight sleeve valve engine of this Daimler. He has mentioned the complexity of keeping the timing of the sliding sleeves perfect in order to keep the engine breathing healthily (the poor engine compression had always being an Achilles' heel of this design), there being no overhead valves or overhead cams! The fact that he managed to acquire these nitty-gritty workshop details (the surviving Knight sleeve valve engines are a rarity anywhere) shows his love & dedication to his craft. And the before and after photographs drive home this point like nothing else!

For us mere mortals it is enough that our forum offers a glimpse into this arcane world! Thanks again.

rageshgr · 25th July 2017, 18:21

What a great car! Look at the amount of detailing in its interior and exterior. Look at the amount of complexity in its mechanicals.

Not even a Maybach will have this much legroom. I love the accelerator pedal in the middle. One can heal and toe as it was meant to be

The young man who restored it is such a genius. I could n't even fathom the complexity of the engine while reading about it, I can only wonder how he restored it to working condition.

shashanka · 15th August 2017, 23:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by KartikeyaL

.....These pictures show the tremendous work done to bring back this beast back to life, kudos to everyone involved.
Cheers
Kartik

Thank you Kartikeyal - these before and after photos convey the magnitude of the task involved in the restoration. But surely, sir, 'beast' is not really necessary as a form of address for this piece of rolling history!

travancore · 16th August 2017, 01:58

The Gold 1919 Daimler of Sir Seth Hukumchand-hukumchand-daimler-v12-gold-vanity-fair-1922.jpg

Another period write up, from 1922

TractionAvant · 31st March 2019, 23:10

What a fantastic car! Reminds me of a gold plated Pierce Arrow (I think) featured in The Automobile in the early 1990s. I cant for the life of me find the article in my old issues.

Regards
Aditya

harit · 1st April 2019, 11:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by TractionAvant

What a fantastic car! Reminds me of a gold plated Pierce Arrow ...... Regards Aditya

Indeed there was such a Pierce Arrow which was lying for a while in the Sinsheim or Speyer Museum in Germany. It was positioned atop a booth, out of reach of the public. Subsequently the car was sold when it appeared in magazines. These are two pics taken from a Hemmings site.

Cheers harit

KPS · 2nd April 2019, 11:22

In addition to the Gold Daimler, Sir Hukumchand had a smaller 30HP Silver Daimler. Not much is known of this car, nor is it extensively documented.

Brian Smith, the Daimler Historian, in his book "The Daimler Days - Vol 3" has recorded some details of the car

The Gold 1919 Daimler of Sir Seth Hukumchand-image1.jpeg

The Gold 1919 Daimler of Sir Seth Hukumchand-image2.jpeg

The Gold 1919 Daimler of Sir Seth Hukumchand-image3.jpeg

The Gold 1919 Daimler of Sir Seth Hukumchand-image4.jpeg

How we wish the silver car too had survived.

Cheers

KPS

25th July 2017, 17:13	#31
shashanka Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: mum, kolkata Posts: 1,254 Thanked: 1,684 Times View My Garage	Re: The Gold 1919 Daimler of Sir Seth Hukumchand Dear KPS, Karl, Kartikeyal and all the other wonderful souls involved in bringing this work to our forum's pages - there is little left to say except for conveying our best wishes to all of you for keeping the tradition of vintage car restoration alive in our country. I came upon this thread quite late but thank my stars that I did! One cannot thank Manavendra Singh enough for doing the terrific job that he has done on the car and on so many others over the years. Many years (sometime in the early 90's I think) ago - in a fit of misplaced enthusiasm - I had the temerity to write to him & request an apprenticeship under him! Very kindly he decided not to reply and overlooked this breach of etiquette on my part! But special appreciation & kudos are owed to Christopher Rodricks for the near miracle he has pulled off in restoring the Knight sleeve valve engine of this Daimler. He has mentioned the complexity of keeping the timing of the sliding sleeves perfect in order to keep the engine breathing healthily (the poor engine compression had always being an Achilles' heel of this design), there being no overhead valves or overhead cams! The fact that he managed to acquire these nitty-gritty workshop details (the surviving Knight sleeve valve engines are a rarity anywhere) shows his love & dedication to his craft. And the before and after photographs drive home this point like nothing else! For us mere mortals it is enough that our forum offers a glimpse into this arcane world! Thanks again. Last edited by shashanka : 25th July 2017 at 17:26.
	(4) Thanks

25th July 2017, 18:21	#32
rageshgr BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chennai/Vaikom Posts: 550 Thanked: 553 Times View My Garage	Re: The Gold 1919 Daimler of Sir Seth Hukumchand What a great car! Look at the amount of detailing in its interior and exterior. Look at the amount of complexity in its mechanicals. Not even a Maybach will have this much legroom. I love the accelerator pedal in the middle. One can heal and toe as it was meant to be The young man who restored it is such a genius. I could n't even fathom the complexity of the engine while reading about it, I can only wonder how he restored it to working condition. Last edited by rageshgr : 25th July 2017 at 18:23.
	() Thanks

16th August 2017, 01:58	#34
travancore Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Ann Arbor Posts: 2,941 Thanked: 8,599 Times	Re: The Gold 1919 Daimler of Sir Seth Hukumchand Another period write up, from 1922
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31st March 2019, 23:10	#35
TractionAvant BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: pune Posts: 241 Thanked: 222 Times	Re: The Gold 1919 Daimler of Sir Seth Hukumchand What a fantastic car! Reminds me of a gold plated Pierce Arrow (I think) featured in The Automobile in the early 1990s. I cant for the life of me find the article in my old issues. Regards Aditya
	() Thanks

2nd April 2019, 11:22	#37
KPS Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,777 Thanked: 11,675 Times View My Garage	Re: The Gold 1919 Daimler of Sir Seth Hukumchand In addition to the Gold Daimler, Sir Hukumchand had a smaller 30HP Silver Daimler. Not much is known of this car, nor is it extensively documented. Brian Smith, the Daimler Historian, in his book "The Daimler Days - Vol 3" has recorded some details of the car How we wish the silver car too had survived. Cheers KPS
	(6) Thanks