She is the darling of the family members of N K S Kutumba and has been an integral part of the household since 1947.
Cherished as a caravan of memories, the 1939 seven-seater Chevrolet Master Deluxe Limousine is just growing stronger and sturdier with every passing year.
"I have been brought up with the grand old lady and share some very special memories with her. I used to get dropped to school and all our holidays have been meaningful thanks to our memorable drives in the car," says N K S Narendra Kumar, the current custodian of the car.
The grand old lady was first brought to the NKS Kutumba household by N K Subbaiah Shetty in 1947.
Subbaiah had business establishments in Mysore and Bengaluru those days and frequently shuttled between the two cities, remembers his grandson Narendra Kumar.
"My grandfather was a regular at most auctions in the Mysore Palace and it was during one such auction that he saw the Chevrolet Master Deluxe Limousine. He was so fascinated by the vehicle that he bought it immediately through bidding," informs Narendra.
The car has been passed down generations. "My elder brother N K Venkatesha Murthy took care of the car first and now I am the custodian. The car, apart from being a favourite of the family members, attracts a lot of attention from strangers whenever it is out on the road," adds Narendra. The car is 16-feet-long and three-feet-wide and the grandeur extends to its built-in features as well.
It has an engine capacity of three and half litres and comes with six cylinders. "It is a seven-seater Limousine with a glass partition in the centre. Of the seven seats, the two in the middle are foldable.
The maintenance of the car has never been an issue. The vehicle was taken care of by Narayanaswamy, a friend and a mechanic, for the last 30 years. I am also well-versed with the working of the car. The minor repairs are done by me and the major work is handed over to Ramesh, our trusted mechanic," informs Narendra.
There are a couple of people like Narendra's uncle N S Srinivasa Murthy and
his friends Suri and Subramani who have helped in the restoration of the car.
The family, especially Narendra, is quite possessive about the car and doesn't let just anybody drive it. He hands over the car only to those who he knows will handle it well. "I became extra careful about the car after I accidently hit it against a wall when I was reversing it. There was a small dent on the left side. I was very restless and disturbed till I got it fixed. After that, I always have someone in it even when I park it in public places. This is how much I value the vehicle," shares Narendra.
It's not difficult to handle the car but one has to get used to driving it, says Narendra. "One needs a knack to handle the car and once you get a hang of that, it is easy to take it around. I've started lending the car to my son Dhanush, who is now spending time in understanding the mechanics of the vehicle," he adds.
Moreover, the family holds interesting memories of travelling in the car. "I take the car out during the weekends to places that are less crowded like the Cantonment area. It has been a part of the 'Mysore Dasara' procession and has been featured in the Hollywood movie 'The Jewel of the Nile' which was shot in Mysore Palace," says Narendra.
Narendra is a member of the Karnataka Vintage & Classic Car Club and a regular at all the rallies.
(Narendra can be reached on nksnaren@gmail.com)
![]( "ROYAL A 1939 seven-seater Chevrolet Master Deluxe Limousine.")
She is the darling of the family members of N K S Kutumba and has been an integral part of the household since 1947.
Cherished as a caravan of memories, the 1939 seven-seater Chevrolet Master Deluxe Limousine is just growing stronger and sturdier with every passing year.
"I have been brought up with the grand old lady and share some very special memories with her. I used to get dropped to school and all our holidays have been meaningful thanks to our memorable drives in the car,” says N K S Narendra Kumar, the current custodian of the car.
The grand old lady was first brought to the NKS Kutumba household by N K Subbaiah Shetty in 1947.
Subbaiah had business establishments in Mysore and Bengaluru those days and frequently shuttled between the two cities, remembers his grandson Narendra Kumar.
"My grandfather was a regular at most auctions in the Mysore Palace and it was during one such auction that he saw the Chevrolet Master Deluxe Limousine. He was so fascinated by the vehicle that he bought it immediately through bidding,” informs Narendra.
The car has been passed down generations. "My elder brother N K Venkatesha Murthy took care of the car first and now I am the custodian. The car, apart from being a favourite of the family members, attracts a lot of attention from strangers whenever it is out on the road,” adds Narendra. The car is 16-feet-long and three-feet-wide and the grandeur extends to its built-in features as well.
It has an engine capacity of three and half litres and comes with six cylinders. "It is a seven-seater Limousine with a glass partition in the centre. Of the seven seats, the two in the middle are foldable.
The maintenance of the car has never been an issue. The vehicle was taken care of by Narayanaswamy, a friend and a mechanic, for the last 30 years. I am also well-versed with the working of the car. The minor repairs are done by me and the major work is handed over to Ramesh, our trusted mechanic,” informs Narendra.
There are a couple of people like Narendra’s uncle N S Srinivasa Murthy and
his friends Suri and Subramani who have helped in the restoration of the car.
The family, especially Narendra, is quite possessive about the car and doesn’t let just anybody drive it. He hands over the car only to those who he knows will handle it well. "I became extra careful about the car after I accidently hit it against a wall when I was reversing it. There was a small dent on the left side. I was very restless and disturbed till I got it fixed. After that, I always have someone in it even when I park it in public places. This is how much I value the vehicle,” shares Narendra.
It’s not difficult to handle the car but one has to get used to driving it, says Narendra. "One needs a knack to handle the car and once you get a hang of that, it is easy to take it around. I’ve started lending the car to my son Dhanush, who is now spending time in understanding the mechanics of the vehicle,” he adds.
Moreover, the family holds interesting memories of travelling in the car. "I take the car out during the weekends to places that are less crowded like the Cantonment area. It has been a part of the 'Mysore Dasara’ procession and has been featured in the Hollywood movie 'The Jewel of the Nile’ which was shot in Mysore Palace,” says Narendra.
Narendra is a member of the Karnataka Vintage & Classic Car Club and a regular at all the rallies.
(Narendra can be reached on nksnaren@gmail.com)
Cherished as a caravan of memories, the 1939 seven-seater Chevrolet Master Deluxe Limousine is just growing stronger and sturdier with every passing year.
"I have been brought up with the grand old lady and share some very special memories with her. I used to get dropped to school and all our holidays have been meaningful thanks to our memorable drives in the car," says N K S Narendra Kumar, the current custodian of the car.
The grand old lady was first brought to the NKS Kutumba household by N K Subbaiah Shetty in 1947.
Subbaiah had business establishments in Mysore and Bengaluru those days and frequently shuttled between the two cities, remembers his grandson Narendra Kumar.
"My grandfather was a regular at most auctions in the Mysore Palace and it was during one such auction that he saw the Chevrolet Master Deluxe Limousine. He was so fascinated by the vehicle that he bought it immediately through bidding," informs Narendra.
The car has been passed down generations. "My elder brother N K Venkatesha Murthy took care of the car first and now I am the custodian. The car, apart from being a favourite of the family members, attracts a lot of attention from strangers whenever it is out on the road," adds Narendra. The car is 16-feet-long and three-feet-wide and the grandeur extends to its built-in features as well.
It has an engine capacity of three and half litres and comes with six cylinders. "It is a seven-seater Limousine with a glass partition in the centre. Of the seven seats, the two in the middle are foldable.
The maintenance of the car has never been an issue. The vehicle was taken care of by Narayanaswamy, a friend and a mechanic, for the last 30 years. I am also well-versed with the working of the car. The minor repairs are done by me and the major work is handed over to Ramesh, our trusted mechanic," informs Narendra.
There are a couple of people like Narendra's uncle N S Srinivasa Murthy and
his friends Suri and Subramani who have helped in the restoration of the car.
The family, especially Narendra, is quite possessive about the car and doesn't let just anybody drive it. He hands over the car only to those who he knows will handle it well. "I became extra careful about the car after I accidently hit it against a wall when I was reversing it. There was a small dent on the left side. I was very restless and disturbed till I got it fixed. After that, I always have someone in it even when I park it in public places. This is how much I value the vehicle," shares Narendra.
It's not difficult to handle the car but one has to get used to driving it, says Narendra. "One needs a knack to handle the car and once you get a hang of that, it is easy to take it around. I've started lending the car to my son Dhanush, who is now spending time in understanding the mechanics of the vehicle," he adds.
Moreover, the family holds interesting memories of travelling in the car. "I take the car out during the weekends to places that are less crowded like the Cantonment area. It has been a part of the 'Mysore Dasara' procession and has been featured in the Hollywood movie 'The Jewel of the Nile' which was shot in Mysore Palace," says Narendra.
Narendra is a member of the Karnataka Vintage & Classic Car Club and a regular at all the rallies.
(Narendra can be reached on nksnaren@gmail.com)
She is the darling of the family members of N K S Kutumba and has been an integral part of the household since 1947. Cherished as a caravan of memories, the 1939 seven-seater Chevrolet Master Deluxe Limousine is just growing stronger and sturdier with every passing year.
"I have been brought up with the grand old lady and share some very special memories with her. I used to get dropped to school and all our holidays have been meaningful thanks to our memorable drives in the car,” says N K S Narendra Kumar, the current custodian of the car.
The grand old lady was first brought to the NKS Kutumba household by N K Subbaiah Shetty in 1947.
Subbaiah had business establishments in Mysore and Bengaluru those days and frequently shuttled between the two cities, remembers his grandson Narendra Kumar.
"My grandfather was a regular at most auctions in the Mysore Palace and it was during one such auction that he saw the Chevrolet Master Deluxe Limousine. He was so fascinated by the vehicle that he bought it immediately through bidding,” informs Narendra.
The car has been passed down generations. "My elder brother N K Venkatesha Murthy took care of the car first and now I am the custodian. The car, apart from being a favourite of the family members, attracts a lot of attention from strangers whenever it is out on the road,” adds Narendra. The car is 16-feet-long and three-feet-wide and the grandeur extends to its built-in features as well.
It has an engine capacity of three and half litres and comes with six cylinders. "It is a seven-seater Limousine with a glass partition in the centre. Of the seven seats, the two in the middle are foldable.
The maintenance of the car has never been an issue. The vehicle was taken care of by Narayanaswamy, a friend and a mechanic, for the last 30 years. I am also well-versed with the working of the car. The minor repairs are done by me and the major work is handed over to Ramesh, our trusted mechanic,” informs Narendra.
There are a couple of people like Narendra’s uncle N S Srinivasa Murthy and
his friends Suri and Subramani who have helped in the restoration of the car.
The family, especially Narendra, is quite possessive about the car and doesn’t let just anybody drive it. He hands over the car only to those who he knows will handle it well. "I became extra careful about the car after I accidently hit it against a wall when I was reversing it. There was a small dent on the left side. I was very restless and disturbed till I got it fixed. After that, I always have someone in it even when I park it in public places. This is how much I value the vehicle,” shares Narendra.
It’s not difficult to handle the car but one has to get used to driving it, says Narendra. "One needs a knack to handle the car and once you get a hang of that, it is easy to take it around. I’ve started lending the car to my son Dhanush, who is now spending time in understanding the mechanics of the vehicle,” he adds.
Moreover, the family holds interesting memories of travelling in the car. "I take the car out during the weekends to places that are less crowded like the Cantonment area. It has been a part of the 'Mysore Dasara’ procession and has been featured in the Hollywood movie 'The Jewel of the Nile’ which was shot in Mysore Palace,” says Narendra.
Narendra is a member of the Karnataka Vintage & Classic Car Club and a regular at all the rallies.
(Narendra can be reached on nksnaren@gmail.com)