[Sanidhya mukund]

So here’s a picture with some story. My grandfather’s uncle, i.e, my great grand uncle, Shri Baleshwar Prasad was an IAS officer. Before becoming an IAS officer, he was also the president of the India Independence league in Burma. After retiring from government service, he served as the lieutenant governor of Tripura in 1971-72 and Delhi in 1974. While he was in Tripura, he had purchased a Mercedes Benz. Little was remembered about what happened to the car, except for the fact that it was given to a family friend. I had posted about that car on the “lost and found classic cars” thread as well:

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

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’.

Recently, I got in touch with the people to whom the car had been given. I got to know quite a few details about the car and also got a picture from them. They told me that my Great Grand Uncle bought the car in 1971 and kept it with himself till 1977. The car was passed on to family friends after that as the car was getting tough to maintain. He bought himself a Premier Padmini (registered DRD 9). The new owners enjoyed the car for more than 25 years and 150,000 miles all over the country.
The journey came to an end when the engine block developed a crack sometime in the early 2000s and the car got scrapped.

They also told me the exact registration number: TRA 1234. I entered the number into the Vahan app and was surprised to see that the details are available online! It is still registered in the name of my great grand uncle. From here, I was also able to make out that it had the M180 engine, which would mean it was a type 230 with 6 cylinders. That would also mean that it was a W114 and not a W115 as I had previously believed.

Here’s a picture of the beautiful blue /8. This was clicked in 1979 on a road trip to Kashmir:



That’s my great grand uncle, who originally purchased the car:



The details are still showing on the Vahan App:





I have contacted the Tripura RTO to see if I can get the exact chassis number from them. Would be interesting to email Mercedes with the VIN to see if they could tell us more about where the car was ordered and other details about specs etc.

[dailydriver]

Old timers in Karnataka and Tamilnadu will surely recall the name of Sri P Srinivas, IFS. Any narrative about Veerappan would remain incomplete without the reverential mention of this brave soul. Sadly, in the line of duty, he was brutally beheaded by the bandit.

Wiki says:

Pandillapalli Srinivas was an Indian Forest Service officer... who is widely considered to be one of the most outstanding figures in Indian forest conservation.

He was a highly successful visionary who helped the villagers of Karnataka, by paving roads and connecting settlements. He provided drinking water channels to tribal regions, and initiated a mobile dispensary unit to assist the poor with medical services. He constructed more than 40 homes for the homeless with his own salary, started afforestation drives, and spread awareness about wildlife and the environment among the villagers. He also rehabilitated and reformed around 120 rebels.

He was murdered in November 1991 by the forest brigand Veerappan.

In 1992, the President of India conferred the Kirti Chakra to the slain officer's mother as a testament to her son's bravery, noble deeds and commitment in serving the nation.Today, Srinivas is remembered as an honest, dedicated and highly competent Indian civil servant who uplifted the lives of the poor, and he is revered as a deity in several villages in Karnataka.

In a unique and praiseworthy gesture, the Department of Forests, Karnataka has restored a Mahindra Jeep that was used by Sri P Srinivas while on duty.

The Man

The Machine -> Before-After

Resting in its Enclosure

Reports from Star of Mysore & ಅವಧಿ

[karlosdeville]

A 1930s Wolseley sedan with a temporary Frontier Province registration.

[karlosdeville]

Here is an early Mark 1 Ambassador - I cannot recall the source of the image, but I did come across a present day image as well.

[karlosdeville]

MPM Transport Company, Kottayam.

[karlosdeville]

Any ID on this conversion in Bhopal?

[awini]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Any ID on this conversion in Bhopal?

Attachment 2427500

Maybe a 10hp Austin? the doors look like that of an early to mid 30s small hp Austin.

[karlosdeville]

Mahatma Gandhi visiting C V Raman at the Indian Institute of Science, stepping into an American sedan. Note the old Bengal system of registration numbers. Taken from C V Raman's Biography

[karlosdeville]

A 1956/57 Fiat 1100 Elegant seen in the 60s

[susan3004]

This comes from the personal collection of Brig Pal Singh,VSM.(The gentleman on the extreme left of the photograph)
Clicked in Bangalore during 1981. That Ambassador is(was) his friend's car, who is in the centre of the picture addressing his wife while the shutter clicks!
I believe that Karnataka state had a registration series with 'C'.
More information would be welcome on the car and the owner.

[arun1100]

Great pic of the Ambassador and Bangalore. Quick check in Car Info reveals its a 1964 Model Mark2 whose Fitness expired in Feb 2022. So this car in all probability survives!

[susan3004]

Originally Posted by arun1100

Great pic of the Ambassador and Bangalore. Quick check in Car Info reveals its a 1964 Model Mark2 whose Fitness expired in Feb 2022. So this car in all probability survives!

Thank you so much.
Would it be possible to know the name and address of the owner?
I would like to get in touch with them and, of course share this picture with the family.

[karlosdeville]

Family time with the Jawa

[karlosdeville]

A superb selection of car photos, all customers of International Tyre Service in Bombay. From Car & Bike Magazine, September 1998.

[susan3004]

Hope this picture qualifies to be here. It is not the family car, however, it was an appointment car meant to be in service of my father.