Who's Bently is this?

The Bentley is one of the most-sought after dream machines in the world. Just that most of us can only dream of it. But on Thursday, when the gleaming white Bentley owned by Amar Singh but often driven by Abhishek Bachchan purred into the dusty compound of the Andheri Regional Office, assistant RTO V R Gujrathi, fancied his chance for a spin.

The car, owned by Amar Singh, and purportedly gifted to Abhishek Bachchan as a 31st birthday present by his father Amitabh, was brought to the Andheri RTO for registration by a representative of the Big B. But when the papers were taken to Gujrathi he allegedly asked that he be allowed to drive the car before he gave his go ahead for the registration. Baffled by this unusual request Bachchan's representative got in touch with a senior politician who in turn contacted Transport Commissioner SS Shinde and asked him to sort out the matter.

Gujrathi himself has denied that any such incident took place but well-place sources told this newspaper that Gujrathi at one point threw the registration papers away from him when he was denied the chance to take the car for a drive. The matter was resolved only after the senior politician who did not wish to be identified, intervened.

According to the sources at RTO the documentation of the vehicle is complete with Rs twenty two lakh and sixty-nine thousand already paid as tax to the Andheri RTO and another Rs seven lakh thirty-five thousand paid as Octroi.
"Since Bentley is among the international makes that have all-compliant status in most countries there was no need to test the vehicle in the RTO premises before allotting it registered status," sources at RTO said, adding that the registration was now just a matter of time since a letter from Amitabh Bachchan confirming that Amar Singh stays at his Juhu residence whenever he (Singh) visits Mumbai has also been provided for.

The Bentley has been in the news ever since it was first spotted in Mumbai when Abhishek Bachchan along with his fiancee Aishwarya Rai visited his ailing grand-mother in the Bentley. It was rumoured that the Rs 2.5 crore worth vehicle was a gift from Bachchan senior to Abhishek. But after controversy arose over documentation, Amar Singh told the media that it was he who had purchased the from London and had paid all taxes. He also admitted to have given Bachchan's residential address in Mumbai as his own.

(Source: Mid-Day & Rediff)

-Mumbaikar