Yesterday I read a story about a guy who drove his 1982 Mitsubishi Galant from Kuwait to Delhi, India during the 1990 invasion. The family still owns the car today and the son is now trying to restore it. If that wasn’t interesting enough, there is a similar story of another guy who drove his 1984 Mitsubishi Galant from Kuwait but to Kerala, India, and also still has his car today. Both cars seem to be the same color and they both might have been in the same convoy of cars that left Kuwait to India by road during the escape.
The journey from Kuwait to India took around 110 days and involved driving through Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan before finally reaching India.
You can read the story on the 1982 Galant journey here.
You can read the story on the 1984 Galant journey here.
The 1984 Galant and the owner Mathunny Mathew seem to have gotten more coverage online. There is a video interview with the owner on YouTube but it’s in Malayalam so I couldn’t watch it. But, there is another very cool video on YouTube where the Petrolhead Motor Garage guys attempt to start the car. It’s not in English but there is very little talking, it’s mostly them taking apart the engine to try and start the car which is a total rust bucket. It’s a chill video and I’ve embedded it above.
I love stories like this so if you know of anymore, let me know!
Thanks Fahad
29 replies on “Two Cars 31 Years After Escaping to India During the 1990 Invasion”
I have a similar story to share.
I was born in Kuwait & studied in one of the Indian school here. One of my classmates from school, whose house I used to regularly visit, said that during the invasion his father sold his car to someone and the new buyer drove all the way to Gujarat in India. Gujarat was also the homeland of my friend’s father. When the father saw the car in Gujarat, he purchased it back.
Is there a picture of the car? How can I contact its owner?
Hi
My Family also Came to Ahmedabad, India by road through Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, during the1990 invasion. We still possess the van in which my whole family came to India. It’s a 1985 Isuzu WFR Van
Amazing Story! Owais Chotu
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This is a public domain, Please Maintain a good decorum in it! Thank you!
Abbasiya (KWT) >Zakho (Iraq)> Ankara> (Turkey) >Tehran (Iran)> Kabul (Afghanistan ) Lahore (Pakistan) Delhi > Mumbai> Kochi> Kerala > Edayaranmula (hometown ) 113 days !!! 17000 kms !!
My parents and sis drove from Kuwait to Karachi, Pakistan in their 87 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. They were stopped at the Kuwait Iraq border the first time they tried leaving due to my dad being a airlines engineer. On the second try they had false passports made from the Pakistani Embassy in Kuwait which showed my dad’s profession as a business man and we we’re able to successfully leave Kuwait. They even had to hide all their valuables in various places on the car so that they can bring it with them without being caught by the Iraqi border patrol. They traveled the same route, from Kuwait to Iraq to Turkey to Iran (where multiple cars were robbed when parked at a hotel and the police were useless) and then into Pakistan back home (where I was born). A journey of 46 days in a caravan of cars and people going the same way. We still are friends with some of the people who travelled on that same route and meet each other once every few years, but unfortunately quite a few of them have passed away due to old age. Dad came back just a month or so after the independence to help Kuwait Airways stand up again and we followed a year later.
The car was later sold to a neighbor who’s son wrecked it in a car accident
r/yesyesyesno
Amazing we also came from kuwait by mistubashi L300 kuwait to Iraq turkey iran then karachi
This could be a good PR opportunity for Mitsubishi – imagine if they help in restoring the cars.
Besides that, these stories are really nice to read.
How could someone drive through Iraq during the Invasion?
That was only means out, me snd my family drove out of kuwait through iRAQ then Jordan then Syria to finally get to lebanon
Was there any problems with border patrol?
no not that i recall
I was riding in an uber in Manchester the driver asked where I was from and I told him Kuwait. He then told me he and his family were living in Kuwait at the time of the invasion, he left Kuwait through Iraq and all the way to Surat India he mentioned that his father still has the car. It’s crazy how big and yet small this world really is.
This 1984 Galant and the owner Mathunny Mathew played a lead part for a group of people and their cars to flee Kuwait during the invasion and their videos and stories will give you a goosebump.
The Petrolehead Motor fellow twice tried to start this Galant but failed because it needed major parts. im sure he will outsource this one day from one of the scrapyards in Dubai and get this car back to life for all the viewers. My dad knew Mathunny Mathew and tells me he was adventurous
I’m wondering If he went back to Kuwait after the invasion which doesn’t seem he did considering the car is till in his garage.
I’m sure if he did come back he would have chosen to fly back and not drive back lol
My uncle had just bought a brand new Cressida a few weeks before the invasion. He drove it all the way to Bombay – India.
I don’t recollect how long he was in India with it but he drive it back to Kuwait and had it with him until the late 90’s.
Wow! Drove back to Kuwait? This is amazing. I love the 1990 model Cressida. It was a beautiful car. 🙂 Btw, the first car in this article is ours. My father is standing with our Mitsubishi.
He was here in Kuwait until 2010
Mark, Please you must put LIKE button.
Well mark I dunno if it’s relevant or not but till u don’t say it stays so ill say thank you for always giving us these informative articles, it’s like eye candy, helps us learn n realise how n what we can do more… So big thanks
you’re welcome 🙂
Incidentally, I know of someone who came to Kuwait on bicycle all the way from Bombay in the 1950s. Basra was meant to be the final destination but he chose to live in Kuwait instead.
السلام عليكم .. ارغب بالتواصل مع صاحب السيارتين الذين غادروا الكويت ووصلوا للهند
Wow! The first photo is of my father with our Mitsubishi! I have heard about the other car too. What a coincidence. Both cars are similar, same color, same model! Only the year is different. I never saw this link. Thank you for sharing.
It is great reading the comments about others who made this same journey. I would love to have a get-together with all the people.