KOCHI: A Mercedes-Benz, which promenaded Rajpath during the ’90s as part of the President’s medical convoy, is now adorning At The Garage, an auto restorative center at Panampilly Nagar, Kochi.
“I’m a car enthusiast. I love classic cars, cars that make history. This particular Mercedes-Benz — an F124 Caravan model — is possibly the only one in India. It was used as a medical convoy by the Indian president during the 1990s,” says Akhil Vishnu, one of the firm’s owners and a car collector.
The F124 Benz has served at least three Indian presidents and was used the most during the presidential term of Shankar Dayal Sharma — between 1992 and 1997. The caravan was customized specifically to cater to the needs of the President.
“This particular caravan is slightly longer than its usual variant, with a height of eight feet. The Indian government had placed a special order for this Caravan model with Benz in Germany,” Akhil says, adding, “Since there was no Mercedes-Benz service center in India during the ’90s, mechanics were sent from Benz headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, to do repairs and service the vehicle.”
The car stayed in Rashtrapati Bhavan till 2010, even years after it was removed from service (early 2000s). Later, it was made available for auction, and a car collector from Kochi bought it. It is unclear who this owner was, but when Akhil finally got hold of the vehicle in 2020, it was “in a bad state.”
“It took my brother Balakrishnan and I three years to restore the caravan. Earlier this month, we had displayed the special vehicle at a classic car event organized by Mercedes-Benz in Mumbai,” Akhil says. There are only 3,000 models of the Benz F124 Caravan globally.
After nearly two decades of stately affairs, the caravan has had a dramatic makeover. It is now painted in a retro brown colour with a pillar-less tent. It also boasts a fridge, a coffee machine, and a bed with an impressive starry roof, just like Rolls-Royce. An electric point on the exterior body allows the caravan’s lighting and air conditioning to be used without turning on the vehicle.
Now that the vehicle’s restoration is complete, Akhil is mulling plans for the caravan, which is fit for camping. It is one of the 11 cars that Akhil owns. “Besides the F124 model, I have a 1992 BMW E34 5 Series (similar to the one that actor Dulquer Salmaan owns), a vintage 1960 Fiat 1100 Select, a rare Maruti Zen, a Fiat Palio Sachin Tendulkar edition, among others,” Akhil says.
He also owns 20 two-wheelers including Yezdi Roadking, Yamaha RD350, 1969 models of Ideal Jawa and Italian Vespa, Lamby, Lambretta, Priya, Vijay Super Scooter (produced by state-owned Scooters India Ltd, one which ruled the market during the ’70s and ’80s), and a Royal Enfield Mofa, which shot to popularity after the Tamil film VIP, released in 2014. With At The Garage, Akhil hopes to enrich the classic car subculture in Kerala.