Car used by Borg Olivier, Mintoff now part of national collection

The Austin Princess used by former prime ministers George Borg Olivier and Dom Mintoff will now form part of Malta's national collection. The car was until recently garaged with the Police Force.

Bought in the sixties by Nationalist Prime Minister George Borg Olivier, the Austin Princess was the height of luxury.

Its lavish interior, which includes wood trims, leather seats and panelling and high-quality carpeting, a glass division between the driver and rear seats for privacy, also attracted Mintoff's attention.

Under the Labour-led administration, maintenance work on the car was exclusively carried out by the mechanics within the Police Force. Servicing of the car was done on a regular basis,

It was during the labour tenure that the car was exclusively maintained by the police force's mechanics, who were obliged to service it around the clock for reasons of security and efficiency.

"Its future, however, looked bleak when it was decommissioned. It was probably only thanks to Former Sergeant Alfred Stivala, later promoted to sergeant major, that it remained in government hands," the CMRU said.

"Fearing the worst, Stivala garaged the Austin Princess at the police force's garage, where it was subsequently cared for by Inspector Anthony Agius, today in charge of the facilities."

The car has now been passed on to Heritage Malta who will restore it.  

"The government agency was also given a black number plate bearing a metal rendition of the former emblem of the republic and a national flag interestingly made to withstand winds when flown on the front during official events," the CMRU added in its statement.