With the birthday of the Father of the Nation and petrol running through my veins, I found myself wondering about Gandhi Ji’s choice of four wheels.
It turns out he had the chance to travel in cars that most of us can now only dream of owning. let alone drive, so what were they?
First up was the Ford Model T, a classic in its own right and a car that transformed the United States. It was the first affordable family car with dependable, commuter-friendly characteristics. This black convertible featured a front-mounted 2.9-litre, four-cylinder inline engine. It reached nearly 70 kph with its 19.7 bhp output.
The cost? Around 850 USD. However, the price dropped over the years, reaching 260 USD in just 25 years by 1924. The car’s marketing hook stated that an average assembly worker could buy one for himself with nearly four months of pay in 1914. Ingenious!
Its value today? At its peak, the Ford Model T would have set you back nearly 30,000 USD, or about Rs. 25.50 lakh in 2024. That is more expensive than a Volkswagen Taigun! These days, however, a Model T auctions for about 10,000 USD, or about Rs. 8.38 lakh. Maintaining it could cost you nearly twice as much. That’s the price of owning a piece of history.
Bapu Ji drove his Ford Model T to a rally in Uttar Pradesh from Bareilly Central Jail in 1927. My great-grandmother still tells us this tale, as owning the family car was the pinnacle for their generation—an obsession that has transcended generations and is now part of the DNA of the average Indian.
Moving down our list is the Packard 120, a car that industrialists seldom owned. This 2- or 4-door coupe, depending on when you bought it, was powered by a 4.6-litre engine mated to a three-speed manual gearbox. It produced about 120 bhp and could reach nearly 140 kph. The first generation of this car also had a 4.2-litre engine, which produced about 110 bhp and had a slightly lower top speed.
Carrying a price tag just shy of 3,100 USD, or a modern-day equivalent of 85,400 USD, this car became the star of many comics featuring a villain. The Penguin appeared in this car, as did Tom from Tom and Jerry and characters from Looney Tunes. It even inspired a vehicle in the recent game Fallout 4. For the Saint of Sabarmati, this car was given by industrialist and freedom fighter Ghanshyam Das Birla during the freedom struggle.
To complete our list, we have the Studebaker President, another de facto car for dignitaries. This model, aptly named for its prestigious associations, belonged to the first generation manufactured between 1926 and 1933. Gandhi reportedly used this vehicle during his lifetime.
This car featured an 8-cylinder, 5.5-litre engine that could generate about 100 bhp—a significant amount of power for that era. You can still see this remarkable car in person, as it is on display at the Byrraju Car Museum near Mysore.
Mahatma Gandhi never owned a car. However, whenever he visited a particular area, wealthy followers of his philosophy offered their vehicles for his travels. Consequently, all the cars Gandhi used during that time are now safely preserved in museums.
A man known by many names, across generations and the entire world, also partook in a passion that binds us all together, just as he did for our entire nation—a fruit that we will cherish forever.
