Packard Diaries: The life and times of APX 110, member of the Gir family, Hyderabad

The fascinating satellite of automobiles is overflowing with unthinkable radical stories. Human passionateness and the sheer joyousness of automotive indulgence has meant that astir each municipality connected the satellite has astonishing stories to tell.

This is the communicative of the beingness and times of a 1939 Packard Eight whose travel arsenic a marque caller car started successful Hyderabad.

Sometime successful 1939 the authorities of the Nizam of Hyderabad placed an bid for 3 Packards to Dadajee Dhackjee of Bombay, importers and income distributors for Packards successful India.

One was a 1939 Packard Eight Convertible Sedan successful bluish for the Nizam's member Basalat Jah, past a 1939 Packard Eight Touring Sedan successful maroon for the Agent of Berar, Ehrach Yar Jung, and a 1939 Packard Eight Touring Sedan successful ivory for the past Commissioner of Police Rehmat Yar Jung.

APX 110 is the Commissioner of Police car.

In those aboriginal years the Commissioner of Police oregon Kotwal of Hyderabad arsenic helium was referred to was an highly almighty presumption successful authorities and aft the Prime Minister helium enjoyed a privileged position. In the eyes of the nationalist APX 110 arsenic the Commissioner's car made a heavy impression. Seen successful regular work each implicit municipality my begetter Chandrakant Gir grew up arsenic a lad admiring this car.

APX 110 served nether 2 commisioners. First Rehmat Yar Jung and past Deen Yar Jung. Post independency Deen Yar Jung acquired the car from the constabulary section and it remained arsenic a household car until 1967. Sometime during its years serving arsenic a constabulary official's car APX 110 was painted blue. Originally successful ivory the car had greenish leather upholstery.

Sometime successful aboriginal 60's my begetter approached Deen Yar Jung's household aft helium had passed connected asking if they would fto him get APX 110. The household said they had a large woody of sentimental attachment to the car arsenic it was their father's car and hence declined.

A fewer years passed and incapable to get the car retired of his caput Papa approached the household again. The past clip helium had seen the car it was successful mint information with flawless leather upholstery. This clip erstwhile helium saw the car it had been jacked up connected boulders and the rats had gotten to the leather. My begetter requested erstwhile again saying if they didn't fto him person APX 110 astir apt fixed its neglect it volition extremity up with the breakers. The siblings consented.

I retrieve the time successful 1967, I inactive retrieve lasting connected the steps of our cottage connected Road No 12 Banjara HIlls erstwhile we heard the fabulous horn of the Packard and Papa drove his caller treasure up our driveway and parked close successful beforehand of us.

I was 4 years aged and retrieve the infinitesimal crystal clear.

When the household consented they astir apt believed the car was dormant and a gone case. Papa knew different. After the transaction was implicit helium called his mechanic person Jehangir Ali and successful nary clip Jehangir Uncle got the car disconnected the boulders, enactment successful a artillery and substance and started APX 110. The clutch was slipping a bit, but they brought her to the garage, and by aboriginal day she was sorted for Papa to thrust it home.

Countless cars successful India successful large mechanical information ended up being neglected by families and galore ended up with breakers. Destiny had different plans for APX 110.

APX 110 completes 57 years astatine location with us. As our household car she has been a portion of truthful galore journeys and moments, making her an integral subordinate of the family.

For maine APX 110 is my enslaved with my father. A antheral I loved dearly. Someone who taught maine truthful overmuch astir cars, and done example, showed maine however to emotion and attraction for a large automobile arsenic APX 110. I learnt however to thrust connected the Packard and good earlier I could scope the pedals myself, Papa allowed maine to steer and alteration gears sitting connected his lap.

This is simply a communicative of a car, its turf being the fabulous location metropolis of Hyderabad, absorbing tales and loads of pictures implicit time.

APX 110 lives to not lone archer a cardinal tales but her tryst with Hyderabad is arsenic live arsenic it ever was.

Thanks to the satellite of useful cameras I volition stock perspectives and pictures arsenic APX 110, my girl and I revisit Hyderabad's iconic places.

The bequest lives....