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Travancore royal’s 1955-model Mercedes Benz to join fleet of business magnate
In 2012, when businessman Ali paid a visit to the Kowdiar Palace in Thiruvananthapuram, Marthanda Varma had expressed his wish to gift the car to him.
A 1955-model Mercedes Benz, the favourite vehicle of the erstwhile Travancore royal family head late Marthanda Varma will soon join the fleet of well-known businessman M A Yusuff Ali.
The royal family and Uthradam Tirunal Marthanda Varma Foundation said the late royal head’s announcement in 2012 in this regard will be fulfilled soon.
In 2012, when businessman Ali paid a visit to the Kowdiar Palace in Thiruvananthapuram, Marthanda Varma had expressed his wish to gift the car to him. A year later, Varma died (December 16, 2013) and the transfer was delayed due to many reasons. Though late, royal family members decided to fulfil his desire and informed Ali about this.
Reacting to the royal offer, Yusuff Ali said he will keep it as a treasured gift. “I had good relations with the royal head till his end. For me, it is a treasure. I will keep it as a priceless gift as he protected his favourite companion till his end,” he told newsmen in Abu Dhabi.
The car is currently with Varma’s son Padmanabha Varma and is in good road condition. Benz had presented many honours to the car and some of them are placed in front of the car and bonnet, said royal members. Palace old-timers said even when sick, Varma used to keep an eye on his trusted companion. “He was so attached to it and looked after it as his progeny,” said one of them.
Many vintage car collectors and businessmen eyed the Benz, nick-named ‘Mile a Minute’, for quite some time. Even the German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz came back to the late royal head with an offer of two new high-end cars, but he refused to part with it.
People close to the royal family said Varma bought the car when he was 38, in 1955, driving it the majority of the time. The vintage car has travelled 4 million miles, a rare achievement for a vehicle.
Built it in Stuttgart, Germany, Varma bought the car for ₹12,000 and got it registered in Karnataka. It got its nickname after it used to cover one mile in one minute.
A multinational businessman, Ali, owns the Lulu group and had a miraculous escape after his copter crash-landed in Kochi last April.
