Lucknow, Sept 09: Londoners who saw the 'world's first' amphibious car float on the Thames last Wednesday came in more than half a century too late. In the Awadh province, people had set sight on two US-made amphibian cars traversing land and water as early as the 1940s. Prized possessions of Raja Mustafa Ali Khan of the Uttraula estate, one of the vehicles lies in a dilapidated condition in a compound in Hussainabad in Lucknow. The other car was disposed of by the Raja's descendants.
While the Gibbs Aquada, the model unveiled in the UK, is aimed at fun-seeking millionaires, the Raja’s cars served another purpose.
"More of a utility than a luxury, they were pressed into service during the 1961 floods," recalls Ali Akbar, son-in-law of Kunwar Iqbal Ali, the younger brother of the Raja. "While travelling to Uttraula, the car would float across the Ghaghra river, since the pontoon bridge was removed during the rainy season." While one car carried the Raja, his retinue followed in the other.
The 55-horse-power car was fitted with a self-recovery device. "When the vehicle was stuck in a swamp, a pulley on the bonnet could be used to pull it out," says Ali Akbar. "One end of the rope could be tied to a tree trunk and the other to the device which would rotate and wind up the rope, pulling the vehicle out."
The relic that survives today will struggle on the roads, leave alone swim.