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The erstwhile Travancore royal family of Thiruvananthapuram is planning to gift the car of late titular king Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma to Lulu Group Chairman MA Yusuf Ali. The car, a 1955 model of the Mercedes Benz (Benz 180 T) built in Stuttgart in Germany, is currently at the Pattom palace in Thiruvananthapuram. It is currently under the care of Uthradam Thirunal's son Padmanabha Varma and the Sri Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma Foundation, after the king’s death in 2013.
The car, which even Mercedes Benz itself asked for in return for two new cars, is now being gifted to Yusuf Ali in a bid to celebrate the bond between the erstwhile royal family and the entrepreneur. The decision was taken by the family and the foundation. The late king had purchased the car for a sum of Rs 12,000 in the 1950s. It was registered in Karnataka and carried the registration number ‘CAN 42’.
The Benz, which was said to be the king’s favourite, had even earned him the nickname ‘Mile A Minute’, because of the speed at which he used to drive. He had reportedly covered 40 lakh miles in the car, as a driver and passenger, from the time he acquired it at age 38. He is said to have personally driven 23 lakh miles of the total 40 lakh miles. He had driven the car even when he was 85. The car also has a display of the medals issued by Benz mentioning the distance it has covered.
Many people wanted to purchase the car and made high bids. Two officials from Mercedes Benz had approached Uthradam Thirunal to ask for the car in return for two new cars. They wished to turn the car into a symbol of pride as the vehicle had covered more distance than any of its newer models. However, the king, who had an eye for antique items, was not ready to part with it.
Notably, Uthradam Thirunal had invited Yusuf Ali to his palace in 2012, when he had reportedly disclosed his wish to present the Benz to the entrepreneur.
The kingdom of Travancore was a princely state in British India.