1910 Brooke 25/30 Swan Car Tourer

The Swan Car is a work of art that was the creation of the eccentric and wealthy Robert Nicholl 'Scotty' Matthewson, who lived in Calcutta. It was built by JW Brooke and Company in Lowestoft, England, to resemble a swan gliding through the water. Brooke made both cars and boats, so the Swan car combined both in one vehicle. Along with the swan head and hand-crafted bodywork, the artisans put lights in the eyes, a swan beak that opens wide to allow the driver to spray steam and clear the street ahead, and a valve in the back that releases whitewash. There is also an exhaust-driven eight-tone Gabriel horn operated by a keyboard from the rear seat. On the tires, there are brushes to clean the wheels as it travels.

The car was so distracting as it traveled down the road that it was banned from the street. Matthewson later sold the car to the Maharaja of Nabha, whose family owned it for more than seven decades.

In 1990, the car was sold at auction and purchased by the Louwman Museum in the Netherlands. It was given a complete restoration including new upholstery from India.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2012