In the 1980s, vintage car collector and restorer Shashi Kumar Kanoria bought this Wolseley from an ashram in Dibrugarh, Assam. At the time of acquisition, the ashram authorities told him that many years ago, this car had been donated to them by someone very wealthy and important. Although at that time, the previous history of the Wolseley was unknown, the car was finally brought to Calcutta and restored by Kanoria himself.

The original rims were kept aside as the 25-inch beaded edged tyres were unavailable at that time. Therefore, Kanoria opted for the 20-inch Cadillac rims along with ADV tyres. The car was finished in an emerald green and black colour scheme. In 1989, the Wolseley was entered in The Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally where it finished first bagging The Statesman Trophy. Post this victory, the Wolseley soon came to be dubbed as the ‘Palace on Wheels’ in the Calcutta circle. Post Kanoria’s untimely demise, the Wolseley has been looked after by his son Shrivardhan, an ace collector and restorer himself.

 
In 2016, the Wolseley was invited for the Cartier Travel with Style Concours d'Elegance 2017. Having seen better days, Shrivardhan decided to restore this car to international standards. He even restored its original 25-inch wheels and left no stone unturned to ensure that this car was, mechanically and cosmetically, a jewel! Little surprise then, that the Wolseley won the ‘Best of Show’ in the Cartier Travel with Style Concours d'Elegance 2017. Honourable Lord March of Goodwood (presently the Duke of Richmond), even made a documentary on this particular car featuring Shrivardhan, for his Goodwood page.

Last year, during the national lockdown imposed to contain the virus of the century, Shrivardhan chanced upon a sketch of the Wolseley which he had made way back in 1996 as a teenager. He posted the sketch on Facebook in the Wolseley Register Page. To his pleasant surprise, he was at once contacted by the Editor, who told him that they would love to use the sketch in their monthly magazine. He agreed and in turn asked them if they could find out about the provenance of this particular Wolseley, based on the engine and chassis number.

 
Surprisingly, Anders Clausager and Andy Plummer from the Wolseley Register promptly wrote back to Shrivardhan furnishing him with the complete provenance of the car, sourced from the British Motor Museum. Shrivardhan was both deeply grateful and thrilled to receive the details from the Wolseley Register.
 
This Wolseley was especially built for the Earl of Ronaldshay, the then appointed Governor of Bengal. Dykes & Co, under the warrant of the Viceroy, built and exported luxurious carriages all over the British Empire. In total there were 1685 units of 24/30hp models built between 1910-1924, and currently only 13 are known to survive, out of which this particular car being the only specially ‘coachbuilt‘ example.

Till date, Shrivardhan uses the Wolseley regularly for Kolkata based events, and even on winter weekends for joyrides! He has dedicated this car as a special tribute to his father who himself was an iconic personality in the vintage car circle of Calcutta.

Fact File
Make: Wolseley
Year of Manufacture: 1914
Model: 24/30hp
Body styling: Limousine Landaulette
Coachbuilder: Dykes & Co., Calcutta
1st owner: The Earl of Ronaldshay, the then appointed Governor of Bengal