Bhopal: The 120-year-old vintage Ford car of Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia 1 of the erstwhile Gwalior princely estate is set to be showcased after restoration to its original beauty in the famous ‘Gwalior Municipal Corporation Museum’ in Madhya Pradesh.

The chamber in the Gwalior Museum where this 1904-05 vintage Ford car will be showcased is being renovated with decorated glass walls and modern architecture, officials said on Monday.

“The chamber in the museum where the car will be showcased is being transformed into a glass showcase with lighting arrangements to magnify the beauty of the vintage artefact”, deputy nodal officer of the Gwalior Municipal Corporation, Pramesh Dutt Sharma said.

Apart from the visitors to the museum, even the passersby will have a good view of the car from outside, he added.

According to him, the car is around 120 years old and was used by Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia 1, both for family and official purposes.

After him, the car became part of the collection of vintage cars by his son, the new Maharaja Jivaji Rao Scindia, grandfather of Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

The vintage piece was donated by the erstwhile Scindia family to the Gwalior Municipal Corporation as a heritage asset following formation of the Madhya Bharat state, the modern-day Madhya Pradesh.

Imported from USA by the Gwalior royal family, the Ford engine and chassis of the car reached Bombay, now Mumbai, where the body for Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia 1’s new Ford was designed and assembled at the famous A. Highland Garage at Bombay (now Mumbai), the authorized manufacture of the Ford company in India.

The assembled Ford car was then handed over to the Gwalior royal family.

Although documentation regarding its specific manufacture is being compiled by the corporation, it is believed to be a ‘B’ series model from Ford’s early lineup, officials said.

The vintage car had been preserved in the museum for over seven decades.

Specialized artisans have been roped in to build its body and do the necessary woodwork and paint it with classy colours to restore it to its original beauty.

The Scindia royal family has a collection of many vintage cars, including the elegant and classic Ford T-690 CR, which was acquired from Canada by Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia 1 in 1919.

The diesel car, featuring a powerful four-cylinder engine with an output of 2 BHP (Brake Horsepower) cost Rs. 36,499 ($ 500 then) at that time.