MSS 1054

MSS 1054 / MSS 1054 / MSS 1054

I don't know how many of you have seen "The Love Bug". If not you can still see it. These days with a computer you could just about see any movie of your liking.

But I am going to talk to you about our (yes, I can call it our / and many of you out there

can easily connect )car. MSS 1054 is the Landmaster car which we bought second hand (pre-owned in today's jargon). Landmaster was the model manufactured by Hindustan Motors before they started making the Ambassador.

You see even now I have my Maruti 800 car in my shed in Chennai (right now I am out of country) which I bought five years back and I don't remember the number!!! In between I have had one more Maruti and two fiats. Registration number? No, Sir. Can't remember.

But not MSS 1054 (There is another one, Fiat MSX 2536 about which I will narrate on another occasion).

This is the car in which many among us learnt car driving. It is the car in which many of us went to late night shows in cinema theatres in Chennai. You know in those days if you go in a car you will be given tickets. Even phones were rare. If you ring up the theatre and talk to them they would keep the tickets ready for you!

It has picked up any number of motors for repairs to our company Prabals. Very heavy motors it could take with ease.

My father, when he became aged and could not move about, he would once in a while ask my pal Mani (PRS) to take him round the city. Mani will oblige him and he would be taken round for about half-an-hour to Mount Road, Radhakrishnan Salai etc. In those days of thin traffic you could go the Marina beach (distance of about 5 Kms) stay there for about 15 mins. and come back - all within 45 minutes!

It would have made any number of trips to the Railway station. Family members going to Bellary by Bombay Mail? No problem!! We would drop them off in the station and go to the movies!! Oh boy!

If it broke down and required repairs - the repair work would be done round the clock!

If any among you would like to fondly recall some incident involving this car, please do so!