Having heard so many car stories from my grandfather, father and other family members about the cars we have owned, I always dreamt of finding one of those in some garage, abandoned somewhere or being lovingly kept by the new owners.
Some cars that nobody remembers the numbers of are:
1943 Plymouth: My grandpa’s first car. He bought it used in 1959 as a young doctor. The car was abandoned after the engine broke down. My dad tells me that he had childhood memories of seeing that car rusting in the corner of a field.
My grandpa’s younger brother distinctively remembers that car. He tells me it was a beautiful blue sedan with matching interiors, but would breakdown frequently. It was impossible to find parts for it. It wasn’t great for the village roads either.
1960s Mahindra, most probably a CJ3B. A 4x4 car that my Grandpa bought for reaching his patients who stayed at rural areas with no roads.
A Mercedes Benz W115 that my great grand uncle owned in the 1970s-1980s. The car was handed over to a famous hotel chain upon his demise. The car was registered at Tripura and had the number ‘1234’.
Then there’s some cars whose numbers were remembered:
1976 Standard Gazel: BRD 4444
1968 Fiat 1100D BRD 1686
Apart from these, my family also owned multiple Ambys and M800s, but I wasn’t ever very keen on looking for one of those. When I was much younger, I would often wonder about where the older cars went, but rationality would tell me that they were probably scrapped a long time ago and are unlikely to exist.
That is why, I was extremely shocked and surprised (in a good way) to randomly bump into a Mark-4 Ambassador that was my dad’s first car. My dad saw this car after 32 years!
As a child, I have heard so many stories of ASK 8, including one where it fell into a canal on its roof. Having heard so many stories of it, it felt like a mythical creature from a fairy tale has appeared before me!
The car showed signs of all the stories: the colour being changed from white to black, the accident in which the roof caved in, the number, it all just felt unreal. It was indeed a pleasure meeting this car.
Last edited by Sanidhya mukund : 29th July 2022 at 10:46.
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During the 1930-70s, my great-grandfather imported several cars to Bangalore, most notably a Jaguar and a Dodge. I've been trying to track these cars down for a while now, but haven't had an easy time doing so, due to the lack of pictures available and accurate timeline. Would greatly appreciate some help from more educated individuals!
Been able to gather some more information since I posted this, the Jaguar was a sports car and was used by the oldest son in the family, up until his demise in 1953. The car was sold soon after his death. Unfortunately, this is all I have as of right now.
29th July 2022, 10:28
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