If you are a Hyderabadi resident, chances are you have grown up hearing grand, larger-than-life legends about the Nizams. From hidden treasures beneath old palaces to tales of eccentric royal habits, Deccani folklore is steeped in Asaf Jahi mythology.
Among these local urban legends, one particular story stands out above the rest: the infamous tale of the Seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, being snubbed at a Rolls-Royce showroom in London. As the story goes, a modestly dressed Nizam was insulted by a salesman who assumed he couldn’t afford a luxury vehicle. In retaliation, an outraged Nizam supposedly bought an entire fleet of cars on the spot, shipped them back to Hyderabad and ordered the city’s municipal department to use them as garbage collection trucks to humiliate the British carmaker. A photo is also always circulated to back the story.
We love drama, and this story has everything- spice, vengeance and royalty. But is there any truth to it?
Setting the record straight
According to vintage car expert, historian and author of the book Automobiles of the Nizams, Mohammed Luqman Ali Khan, the tale is pure myth.
Affectionately called Vintage Khan, he set out to separate fact from fiction in his book. Distressed by the periodic circulation of grainy black-and-white photos on social media claiming to show a “garbage-collecting Rolls-Royce,” Khan noted: “I am appalled to witness the resurfacing of false attributions and mindless claims about this self-explanatory photograph. It is fervently done by a few boastfully devout Hyderabadis… having researched extensively on the cars of the Nizams, I feel duty-bound to reaffirm that no such incident is recorded in archives.”
As reported by Telangana Today, Khan pointed out several flaws in the story, including how the photograph does not even show a Rolls-Royce; in fact, it is a Ford. He also noted that the street in the photograph is not from Hyderabad, nor is the clothing worn by the people in it. He also shared, “The so-called “brooms” in front tyres were there to protect tyres and tubes, positioned to sweep away shrapnel and sharp objects which plagued roads after aerial bombardment in the war days.”
Furthermore, the idea that Rolls-Royce would reject an order from Hyderabad is historically improbable. As Khan highlighted, archival correspondence reveals that luxury carmakers actively competed for royal orders. “Rolls-Royce was a big name, but not as big as the other cars owned and preferred by the Nizams. Like many other car-makers, R-R too vied to obtain orders from the Nizams… No question of R-R refusing an order placed by the Nizams,” he said.
This story is also associated with the Maharaja of Alwar, Jai Singh Prabhakar, and Nawab Saadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi of Bahawalpur. However, these myths have also been debunked by historians time and again.
The Nizams’ love for automobiles and where to see them now
While the Nizam never used luxury cars to sweep garbage, the Asaf Jahi rulers certainly held a passion for motoring. At the height of their reign, the Nizams possessed one of the world’s most impressive private automobile fleets, which comprised customer Napier models, Packards, Cadillacs, Buicks and of course, Rolls-Royce.
For Hyderabadis wanting a genuine glimpse into this golden automotive era, a visit to Chowmahalla Palace is an absolute must.
Restored and showcased at the palace armoury and courtyard garages, visitors can admire the crown jewel of the royal fleet: the legendary 1912 Silver Ghost Rolls-Royce (Throne Car). This striking canary-yellow 40/50 HP limousine was originally ordered by the 6th Nizam, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, and later utilised by Mir Osman Ali Khan.
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