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UAE: Weddings, family trips and now an epic round-the-world journey; this 73-year-old car has seen it all

Three generations have arrived in Dubai on a stopover, visited school to address students

Published: Thu 31 Aug 2023, 6:00 AM

Updated: Thu 31 Aug 2023, 3:55 PM

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A father, son and granddaughter have set out on an epic journey over 12,000 kms from India to London in a classic car that has been a part of the family for over 45 years. Daman Thakore, his father Deval and his daughter Devanshi, arrived in Dubai on Sunday and made a stopover at GEMS Modern Academy to address some students and have a flag off ceremony. The classic car is lovingly called Lal Pari (Red Angel) and here's how the epic journey is unfolding.

It was a dream to own a two-seater convertible that led Deval Thakore from his hometown in Ahmedabad to Mumbai to buy the 1950 MG YT more than 45 years ago. “It cost Rs6000 and when I saw it, I just fell in love with the car,” said Deval, speaking to Khaleej Times.

According to the family, Lal Pari attracts people wherever it goes. Almost as a testimony, several students gathered around the car to pose for photos and wave excitedly when the car was flagged off.

Supplied photo

Supplied photo

For Daman Thakore, the car is associated with all the happy memories of his life. “Whenever my cousins visited us, we would all cram into the car and go for a ride,” he said. This photo shows a 10-year-old Daman with his cousins.

Supplied photo

Supplied photo

According to Daman, every one of his cousins rode Lal Pari to their wedding. “Lal Pari has been the family procession car,” he said. “At least 20 of us got married while riding in it.” This is a photo of Daman dancing in the car for his wedding.

Accompanying Lal Pari is a camper van called Lal Pari ki Saheli (Lal Pari’s friend) that will aid the car as it makes a treacherous journey across 12,000 kilometres. It is fitted with solar panels that will be used to produce some electricity required during the family’s stay.

The camper van has sleeping bags, a sink, vessels to cook, readymade food items and filming equipment. Riding in it will be Lal Pari’s support group, including the mechanic Madhu Bararia, who has poured 5 years of his hard work into the car, and Vinay Panjwani, who will capture all the moments of this journey as a documentary.

The family will only carry three pairs of clothes during their trip, which is expected to take up to 90 days. “For us travel has never been about luxury,” said 21-year-old Devanshi. “Travel is about the adventure and the experience. So we don’t mind washing our own clothes and reusing it for these 90 days.”

Two years of repair and maintenance work has gone into getting Lal Pari prepared for this journey. However, the interiors have been maintained as the original. “For us, the main thing is that we want to keep her original beauty,” said Daman.

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