Laos
The DS Prestige of the last King of Laos, Savang Vatthana, overthrown by the Communists in
1975, is still resting peacefully in the sealed-off garage of the former royal palace of the old
capital of Luang-Prabang...
1975, is still resting peacefully in the sealed-off garage of the former royal palace of the old
capital of Luang-Prabang...
Savang Vatthana, last
King of Laos. He was said
to prefer the DS to the
other official vehicles.
Can't have been a bad
man.
King of Laos. He was said
to prefer the DS to the
other official vehicles.
Can't have been a bad
man.
The former royal palace is now a must-see for
tourists in Luang-Prabang. Its garage (upper
right corner on the photo above), is not
normally visited, but we could manage to get
the keys and have a look inside... What a nice
surprise ! Along with a boat and a couple of
Ford (Edsel and Lincoln), a DS, and a
Prestige at that ! This version, delivered in
very limited numbers, for head of states and
other VIPs, featured a glass separation
between the front and rear seats. Having not
been able to get access to the chassis
number, I can only assume it dates back to
between 1964 and 1967. The general
condition is quite bad, and the dashboard is
unfortunately in an advanced state of
cannibalization.Our self-appointed guide told
us it was dating back to "about 1950", which
just can't be true, and that the King preferred
the DS to the other royal cars; that, I will
believe !
tourists in Luang-Prabang. Its garage (upper
right corner on the photo above), is not
normally visited, but we could manage to get
the keys and have a look inside... What a nice
surprise ! Along with a boat and a couple of
Ford (Edsel and Lincoln), a DS, and a
Prestige at that ! This version, delivered in
very limited numbers, for head of states and
other VIPs, featured a glass separation
between the front and rear seats. Having not
been able to get access to the chassis
number, I can only assume it dates back to
between 1964 and 1967. The general
condition is quite bad, and the dashboard is
unfortunately in an advanced state of
cannibalization.Our self-appointed guide told
us it was dating back to "about 1950", which
just can't be true, and that the King preferred
the DS to the other royal cars; that, I will
believe !
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Page creation 20/05/2006
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