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This car is 56 years old and still in good condition.
The luxury Mercedes-Benz car has license plate number MEO 777 and is a 1968 model.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister D Devaraj Urs is fondly remembered in Kannadigas for his people-friendly governance. He owns a vintage Mercedes Benz that is nearly half a century old and continues to have good mileage and still attracts the attention of onlookers.
The luxury Mercedes-Benz car has license plate number MEO 777 and is a 1968 model. According to reports, this was the official car of Devaraja Urs during his 10 years as Chief Minister of Karnataka. The country's former prime minister, Indira Gandhi, thought he should have a better car than the ambassador. It reportedly quickly became the former prime minister's favorite car.
This car is 56 years old and has always been in good working order. The car is displayed in front of the Assembly House in Bengaluru every year on August 20, the birth anniversary of D Devaraj Urs. People eagerly await the day they can admire the Black Beauty and are often spotted taking photos with it.
According to reports, in the 1972 elections, Devaraj Urs organized the Congress Party and achieved a huge victory. As a gift, the then Prime Minister gave him a brand new Mercedes-Benz car from abroad. From then until 1980, the car stayed with him until his tenure. For the next few years, it was parked at the Kumarakrupa Hotel, where all government cars for auction were stored.
In 2007, when the government wanted to auction the car, it was bought by GM Babu, a close associate of the former CM and is still the current owner. Even the car is in perfectly drivable condition. He said he had to convince officials to let him take possession of the car, which he bought for Rs 4 lakh. He claims that the car can deliver a mileage of 12 kilometers per liter.
Regardless of which party is in power in the state, cars park in front of the parliament building every August 20.
