Vehicles with Legacy - Rolls Royce and Royal Enfield

Although India as a country has always been associated with agriculture, consumerism and during the most recent years information technology, cars and bikes have also been an inseparable part of the Indian culture. On turning a few pages of history, you would be surprised to find that cars and bikes have been in vogue in India since as far back as the nineteenth century when the royalty indulged in these as their means of transport. However, at that time, there were very few choices and the privilege of being able to afford these belonged only to a handful few

When we think of buying a car today, we have at our disposal innumerable brands, many of which are makes of different countries around the world. Imagine what the scenario must have been like during the last decade of the 1800s' and even a few years after the turn of the century – while car was a term synonymous with Rolls Royce, the mention of a bike invariably meant a Royal Enfield.

‘Rolls' as it is popularly known, has always had a royal touch to it and much of this image is courtesy of the fact that in olden times the Maharajas of India used it extensively for their travelling needs. Long before India achieved independence, this car has been a status symbol amongst the royalty in India so much so that on an average every member of the Indian royalty possessed at least three of them.

The presence of the Rolls Royce was a testimony of the Maharaja's importance and the more number of cars he owned, the more his position in society rose. Most of the times, the Rolls was meant to follow the ruler in a procession and carry his wives as well. To this effect even the manufacturers were open to customizing the vehicle as per personal demands, an example being the gold-plated Rolls Royce belonging to the Maharaja of Kashmir. The model belonging to the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore is still preserved at the museum of Kolkata to remind people of those bygone times.

Likewise, the Royal Enfield began its tryst with India in 1898 when the UK-based company manufactured and sold models like Bullet, Hornet and Fury, all of which have endured till today. Its ride through history has not been as smooth as that of the Rolls and the brand faced a lock-out during mid-twentieth century till it was once again revived. At present the Enfield is indigenously manufactured and although the primary buyer still remains the government, efforts are on to improvise on it so as to be able to pose competition to the Japanese models.

Reliability and stability are two factors which have always been the hallmarks of these brands and even though they are no longer in the main stream, they are still the first choice of connoisseurs and vintage-lovers. Seeing a person driving Rolls or riding astride an Enfield on the road reflects on him as being an individual of taste and as someone who is conscious of his identity and image.

Autor: TechSneha