MF Husain’s...

A Honda City car, travelling from Ghanta Ghar towards Kashmere Gate, hits a cow and then a 58-year-old woman pedestrian on Lala Hardev Sahai Marg at 7.15am. The driver hits a tree and then the wall of a DDA park. The driver, and another occupant, break windshield and emerge out of the car. As the driver tries to speed away, he hits a cart-puller and another pedestrian at Barfkhana roundabout — 400 metres away from the first accident spot. The driver continues to drive, as locals rush to victims’ rescue. They pause for a moment, analyse the damage and escape into the DDA park even as some locals attempt to chase them but soon give up. “This model had made the company (Morris Motors) Britain’s largest car manufacturer at the time. The history of the car, its rich, artistic provenance and definitely, its looks, attracted me towards it,” he said, adding, “The fact that it was owned by a very renowned artist of our country made it even more appealing to me.”

While members of the Hussain family couldn’t be reached for comment, Astaguru said the car has been in the family since 1991. “The car is in working condition, and is a rare model as there are only a handful of them in India,” said Siddanth Shetty, vice president of strategy at Astaguru. “There have been no changes in the parts of the model since 1937.”

It cannot be called a revolutionary car, Shetty said, but added that its vintage look and feel makes it appealing to collectors. It is not a very expensive car to own, so people can begin their collection with it, Shetty said. The Morris 8 model was in production between 1935 and 1948, inspired by the popularity of the Ford Model Y, the production of which began three years earlier, in 1932. According to data from Astaguru, 1,16,000 Morris 8 cars were sold in the first three years of its production, with experts crediting it as the model that saved the brand.

Other vintage cars at the auction included a Rolls Royce Silver Wraith 1947, which got the highest bid of ₹1.70 crore, and a Chrysler Airstream 1936 that was auctioned for ₹48.21 lakh.