[Stratos]

I still remember my first ever meet that happened even before Team-BHP came into existence. It happened at Worli Sea face and that is where I met GTO (M5 then) for the first time and he shared the idea of launching a bigger platform for automobile enthusiasts. Team-BHP entered my life in March 2004. For some reason, "Stratos" was the handle I registered with, and to be honest, till date I have no clue why. The excitement kept on growing when more and more members started joining. A decade back, supercars were a rare commodity even in a metropolitan city like Mumbai. Thus, many of us Team-BHPians would gather on a Saturday night to get a glimpse of these beauties and meet at this particular speed-breaker at Worli seaface. These glimpses started turning into full-fledged meets. The number of members started growing and thus grew the forum. Today, no one even bothers to see if there are more than 10,000 people currently viewing the forum, but back then even when the membership number touched 50, it would excite us. No, this does not symbolize a reduction in excitement. What it symbolizes is an expansion of our confidence. A good quality place will always attract good quality people. Our growth proves this.

Today, Team-BHP is one of the most highly respected automotive forums, known for its unbiased vehicle reviews, attention to detail and the availability of immensely good quality information. It is truly an honour for me to be associated with this amazing forum. This association also came with its own perks. Thanks to Team-BHP, I made some amazing friends with fellow moderators and members. This friendship is here to stay for lifetime and beyond.

I would like to personally thank GTO and all the moderators for their hard-work and dedication, because of which this place, today, is a qualitative benchmark in the Indian automotive field. Last but not the least, a big shout out to all the members who bring in tons and tons of information and help this gigantic automotive encyclopedia grow bigger everyday.

It is unbelievable that we are 10 years old now. From a tiny MSN chat group to this huge website. What a journey it has been. The ups and downs have just made us stronger in every sense. Yes, it definitely is a time to celebrate, but remember we have to keep growing. All of Us!

This is just the beginning.

Happy 10th Birthday Team-BHP!!!

[bblost]

I joined this forum in 2007. I needed some advice. Registered and then became part of this awesome family.

The quality and commitment of every member to maintain it has helped team-bhp become what it is.

I am very happy to be able to serve this awesome group of auto enthusiasts.

[Eddy]

Like most of us here, I discovered team-bhp when I started to search for my first car. As I have written earlier in one of my threads, the initial impression of the forum was of well-off members leaving no stone (read expense) unturned in buying, maintaining & modding their cars. However, I soon discovered that the forum was the perfect place for advice for all kinds of people, including me who did not want to spend too much and always wanted the "value for money" way out of any dilemma. The icing on the cake was that team-bhp had information from all walks & spheres of life. Heck, we've had members choose what mattress to buy on our forum.

If there ever could be an on-line family, team-bhp it is for me. Never did I imagine that I would reveal my personal identity on an on-line forum, but this close knit community does bring a sense of personal belonging, and I guess this is common across a lot of members.

And I have loved my journey - right from joining; to the tbhp gang celebrating my bachelors party where I met Sam Kapasi for the first time; to shedding a tear on hearing about his demise; to getting a team-bhp friend help plan my honeymoon to writing this now - wishing team-bhp a very happy 10th birthday and wishing that it grow from strength to strength. I will always cherish each friend made here, and miss each member who is no longer with us....

There is just one last thing that I would like to say to everyone else there- when I was a regular member, there were moments of uncertainty where I doubted whether the mod team was indeed unbiased and had the best interest of the community in mind. But trust me guys, when I became a part of the mod team it was evident that all discussions, all decisions & the entire energy of the team is to make this community a better place. Kudos to Rush for his level of involvement & commitment.

Here is wishing all of us a very happy 10th birthday, and best of luck on its future !


Drive safe...

[Jaggu]

Friends, family and then some more... Well this is the thought that came to my mind when i started writing in this thread. I was a "nomad" on various forums, hopping from bikes, to cars to technology and what not. Partly in pursuit of knowledge, part as a total prankster Looking back, we were a bunch of prankster who landed on TBHP by chance. Never realized how that one night stand turned into a long term thing and finally into a committed relation for life. Time sure does fly right???!

More than information and sharing, the turning point of my association with TBHP i guess was meeting Rudra, infact we were 3 prankster who met him that evening. Then on the levels of interaction and participation changed for ever with TBHP. We had weekend meets, photo shoots and drives... through which i got introduced to many great friends in Bangalore.

Wait a minute! if i really look back i got introduced to most of my closest friends... infact all of them through TBHP!!

Meeting with Khan and through him the offroading bunch was another exciting twist in this roller coaster ride called life. So this valentine's day let me say this to all of you... LOVE ya all!! and last but not the least, this guy called GTO who needs a big round of applause for keeping it all together....

And some pics.

[Aditya]

I was probably the first person in my family or among my friends to be passionate about cars. Everyone else I knew, just looked at them as a mode of transport. Considered a car-bore, I barely had anyone to talk to.

It all changed when I came across this group on MSN called Formula India. It wasn't too long before members of the group planned a meet and soon we became fast friends. Not long after, Formula India went from being a group to a forum called Team-BHP. Ten years have passed since then. The forum has evolved with time to become a full-fledged website, with a portal and classifieds.

Today, Team-BHP is easily the best automotive website in the country. There is loads of content and the quality is top notch - gotta thank the members and support team for that.

Apart from the immense knowledge about all kinds of vehicles and routes which I went on to travel on, Team-BHP has given me a whole load of friends who I can bank on when times are tough.

Drive-vacations, foodie meets, Blind Man Car Rallies, pushing broken down cars in the rain - we have done it all.

It's great to be a part of and serve this wonderful community.

Happy 10th Birthday Team-BHP.

[mobike008]

I joined Team-BHP during late 2006 and I dont even remember now how I stumbled upon this forum. Having experienced many other forums in similar or different formats, Team-BHP struck a cord right from day "1" and there was a certain affinity that developed towards this particular forum primarily due to the vast technical knowledge available at your behest and general attitude of the members.

During the initial days it used to amaze and make me wonder why people are waiting in the wings to respond to a automobile technical query? Post a question, you get your answer before you switch screens and that kind of passion of members to help each other hasn't changed over the last 7.5 years that Iam associated with this wonderful forum.

My passion for this forum grew within months of joining this forum and probably Iam one of the first handful of members on forum to have made an effort of creating a Team-BHP sticker on my own way back in 2006/07 to show my linkage to this forum and same goes for Team-BHP tshirts which I have organized for many Team BHP members from Hyderabad even before the idea of Team BHP merchandise came into being goes to show the passion & love that I had for this forum and as time passed this passion continued to grow with the same pace the forum has grown in terms of members, expansion of topics discussed and quality that is maintained with a rigidity that may not be liked by all members but, has to be appreciated keeping the big picture in mind.

When I was invited to be part of moderation team, it was a mixed feeling of intimidation and excitement. Initial thought was to decline the offer but, in retrospect, Iam mighty glad that I have accepted it. I have enjoyed every day of being part of admin team as it gave me an opportunity to look at things from both sides of coin and an understanding of how difficult it is to run a large forum like us with highest quality. Kudos to GTO for his unmatchable passion !!!

Also, iam too passionate about Team-BHP Meets and must have conducted the maximum meets in the entire forum. There was a time we used to average once a week with crazy theme based meets as well that included Drive, Lunch, Dinner, Dinner on a Boat or Ghazal Meet not to mention organizing the biggest and perhaps the only Tri-States Meet in Goa in 2009 (Incidentally that is where I met GTO for the first time)

Iam proud to be part of Team-BHP and Wish the forum "Happy 10th Birthday" and needless to say my best wishes are there so we can continue to "Redline the Indian Automotive Industry"

Sharing a few pictures of some meets in Hyderabad over the years !!!

Cheers
Mobike008

[.anshuman]

Happy Birthday Team-BHP!! I could not really believe when i realized Team-BHP is turning 10, it was just a little while back when it all started. From a small discussion group to the largest automotive encyclopedia of the country, from the time barely anyone knew about us to the time now when everyone on the road seems to have Team-BHP stickers on their cars.

Ten years back, i could not even imagine someday i would be reviewing cars for such a huge readership, still have full freedom to express my views, having the car companies following our discussions and reports so closely. Slowly over the time since 2004 Team-BHP has become an inseparable part of my life, i have learnt so much here and made so many friends. All this while i have enjoyed each and every moment spent logged in to Team-BHP.

All this was made possible only because of the Members- BHPians, Senior-BHPians, D-Bhpians, Moderators… Way to go Team-BHP!

[aah78]

Formula India, a tiny MSN Group, made up of a bunch of car crazy guys was where it all started.

I joined in after hearing about it from my cousin, Aditya.
Admittedly, I was more of a lurker then but enjoyed being amongst a group that loved cars and that's all they talked about.

Cut to a few months later and there was this buzz about starting up an automotive forum, a relatively new concept in those days, where the viewer ship and member base would be much higher.

Thus, Team-BHP was born.

I have been a member since the early days and watched the forum grow and expand from a tiny little group made up of a few members to having hundreds & then thousands of enthusiasts.

It has helped increase my awareness exponentially in areas that I would never have dreamed about.

The amount of knowledge most of the members have is mind-boggling!

From discussions about currently released models and super-cars, the variety of discussions has expanded to provide a base for anyone remotely interested in the automobile & the internal combustion engine - we have vintage-car hobbyists, 4x4 guys, bikers, commercial vehicle lovers, audio guys & it doesn't just end there - we even have airplane & mariners in our midst!

The past 10 years has been a great learning experience & its been great watching you grow, Team-BHP, into the community that you have become today.

A very Happy B'day & may you live on!!

[Vid6639]

Somewhere in 2006, I chanced upon Team-BHP while searching for a tyre upgrade on my Lancer. Little did I know that would be the beginning of a long journey, which I am still travelling on. Along the way I made a lot of friends online as well as offline. I still cannot forget the first time I met a Team-BHPian in person. I had just come back from a trip to the US and I had interacted over PM regarding detailing products to buy from US. I had got some stuff back from the US and was asked to meet up in Koshy’s one evening. That’s when I met the old man Rudra Sen along with another moderator back then Normally_Crazy.

Then there was the epic Bangalore meet organized by the legendary Sam Kapasi. There were hundreds of Team-BHPians and it was crazy with talk of cars and more car talk the whole night. The forum had become an addiction by then. It was impossible to go a full day without checking the forum.

In 2007, I was asked to be a part of the Distinguished gang where I made even more friends. Thanks to Sam Kapasi, I got the chance to drive from Delhi to Mumbai in the JBL evil twins Swift and then from Mumbai to Bangalore with the Swift twins as well as moderator Ajmat's Octavia vRS. It was amazing to see that Ajmat had bought a used vRS sitting in Bangalore with Normally_crazy checking out the car and closing the deal on his behalf. Top top it off 4 of us flew down from Bangalore to Mumbai to drive the Octavia down along with the Swift's. I could never imagine knowing such people or doing this sort of thing without Team-BHP.

By this time my folks had thought there is no hope for me. My dad once said "You want to fly to Delhi to drive a car down to Mumbai then you want to fly back to Bangalore.........Are you mad???"

Another unforgettable time was when I was in the Netherlands for an official trip. I had a weekend to kill and did not know what to do. A quick check on Team-BHP and I saw a member leadf00t based out of Amsterdam. Sent him a PM and he immediately offered to host me at his place. So there I was in Amsterdam with a guy whom I never met before, showing me around a new country and offering me a place to stay. We just had 2 things in common, a love for cars and we were members of Team-BHP. Coincidentally, he too used to drive a similar black Mitsubishi Lancer.

One day in 2011, I was checking the forum and saw a PM from GTO. It took a while to sink in that the PM was for asking to be a moderator on Team-BHP. I was elated at the thought of being part of the support team of possibly the best automotive forum in India. It took a while to sink in for sure. It was not all easy being a moderator but it did have it perks of reviewing cars officially. Official reviews were more work than fun, but, when work is your passion, how can anyone not enjoy it. It also gave me the chance to travel to Japan for the first time and be one of the select few to drive the Honda Amaze before anyone.

Over the years college friends, friends from work and girlfriends have come and gone but the friends from Team-BHP have only kept increasing. Come to think of it, almost all my friends are from Team-BHP and the few that are not from the forum had no choice but to become a member The support team is more like a second family where we share our joys and sorrows with each other.

The forum has given me a wealth of information and I try my best to give back to it with whatever little I know. It's been a great journey watching the forum from a small group to one that is 80,000 strong now. Where else would you see an engineer, a lawyer, a CEO and a doctor discussing cars together. None of this would have been possible if it wasn't for GTO and his passion and dedication to create a community of like minded people.

So here's wishing Team-BHP a very very Happy 10th Birthday with many more to come I'm sure. It feels great to be a part of this rocking group.

Cheers,
Vidyut

[Mpower]

Growing up I was always known & teased as the car nut among family and friends. When it came to choosing my career, there was no question in my mind as to where I wanted to be. In fact at some point I wondered iwhy was not normal like the others perhaps. Life changed in a way when I chanced upon Tbhp while doing a google search. The next 10-15 days were consumed going through all the threads.

After joining I made an instant connection with fellow bhpians and sometime later I was ecstatic to be elevated to the inner circle. I went from feeling like an abnormal person and a car expert among my friends/family to being a just one of the car fanatics and meeting people who are far more accomplished in this field. The friendships and contacts I have made on tbhp will always be cherished. I hope that this association will be a life long one

The years have gone by so quick and that means that we are all having so much fun. Happy 10th Birthday Team-BHP!

[n_aditya]

I chanced upon Team BHP back in 2005.

I was looking for an exhaust mod job on the Esteem I had back then. Armed with loads of information from members on the forum I got my car spruced up with a free flow air filter and a full system exhaust.

Those early days - the talks of NOS, Turbo modifications, engine swap's, e-zen's, b-zens, honda's and suzuki's at late night coffee shops was so much fun.

Now after almost a decade on the forum, I must say that my day is not complete till I visit the forum and check out what people are discussing about.

I've made a lot of friends through the forum, have consumed vast amounts of valuable and insightful knowledge and the respect (for the forum and all the members who make this forum complete) definitely grows with each day.

Thank you TEAM BHP.

Happy 10th Birthday and wishing you many more. Keep the revv's high !!!

[Rudra Sen]

Tenth year? Really? Time sure flies!! And how!

I’ve stopped keeping tracks of our special moments, long back.
Because every meeting, outing, discussing, talking, fighting looks special to me. Even after so many years.

And I’m sure this is not going to change in future too.
Time does fly. And when you look back you’ll remember few things from the past, which are distinct. They sit tight and refuse to fade.

"17th April 2004 evening, I stopped the car somewhere close to my house. Needed to pick up few things for daily living. One of them was the current issue ‘AUTOCAR’. It was more a habit than looking at anything in particular. I don’t remember the cover. I don’t remember the scoops. I don’t remember what all they had tested for that issue. But I remember a small box item, about TBHP. Also it mentioned, the site may look little complicated but you’ll get used to it soon".

From "So many friends!! And so little time?"
21st February 2005

That time, probably we had some 1000 plus members. Most of them were active on a day-to-day basis. I dreamt and believed that one day this forum will be big.
We did what we felt right and soon the world outside started looking at us differently.

A year down the line, I wrote:

"We have built this forum and earned the respect and stature it commands today.
We are free. That is why we need to be in control.
We are liberal. That is why we need to be sensitive.
We are knowledgeable. That is why we need to respect others views.
We love the automotive world. That is why we’re here on this forum.
We are Team BHP. That is why we need to come together".

From Rear View - A Retrospective
8th June 2006,

Comments above still stand strong today. We are 80,000+ members now. Scary but great!
We need to come together to make it even bigger. It’ll happen for sure.

Happy birthday TBHP.

[suhaas307]

What was once a place I visited to get my automobile fix, soon became my home in the virtual world. I owe Team-BHP more than I can fathom, to be honest. The wealth of information that has always been at my disposal, the friends and family that I'd made along the way who'd played a huge role in grooming me as an individual, and the fact that there would be a massive meaningless void if it were all to be taken away, is worth its weight in gold. I'm forever indebted to Team-BHP. Thank you Rush, and happy birthday Team-BHP! May you have many, many more!

[DerAlte]

Happy 10th anniversary to every denizen of this wonderful band of ladies and gentlemen.

I joined Team BHP after finding it in the top 3 Google Search results - for whatever I searched for related to automotive. A unsocial gaucho person like me, born waaaay before Internet was even thought of, had given a go-by to the then new-fangled Internet interaction mechanisms like Orkut, Chat rooms and a lot of other 'meeting places' that don't exist anymore. That was more because of the uncontrolled unintelligible language and total lack of synchronization with others that I found there. But then, Team BHP surprised me with its uncharacteristically different (by extant internet standards; it was absolutely 'normal' to me and a lot of other oldies) approach to knowledge and interaction standards. Found belongingness and fellow-feeling with a whole bunch of young and old people, and not just on all things Automotive.

Team BHP has given a lot to me, as I hope I have been able to contribute to others. All of my sentiments (I am not a very articulate expressive person) have already been expressed by my fellow Support members right from Page 1 of this thread. What more can one ask for from a group of people - than lasting friendships and meeting of minds.

Thank you everyone, and I hope no one ever goes away from Team-BHP with their problems unsolved.

[Technocrat]

I was very active on automotive forums around 2003 & was regular at most Biking forums & yahoo groups. The biking scene was exploding that time compared to the car scene. It was exactly 10 years ago that a fellow mod at a site where I was mod, sent me a PM about this new forum dedicated for cars called Team-Bhp.com. I told myself finally a dedicated place for car enthusiasts is here. Although I registered at that very moment, I was still very much into the biking scene than cars. So while I was visiting every now & then, I wasn't a regular. But as time went I started finding myself spending more & more time on Team-bhp, the primary reason was the focus on quality & overall structured approach which was like a how to run an automative forum which was never seen before. With time, just like everyone else, i got addicted, started posting a few threads including the Tech Jargon thread & Essentials for Long drive among others. Team-bhp became the homepage of my browser. Over the years I have got to interact with a lot of wonderful people here, some of whom are very good friends now. The camaraderie, bonding & knowledge that you get to see & feel here is difficult to describe in simple words.

It was in Feb 2008 that I received an invite from GTO to join the Support group & it was a no brainer for me to accept it as it would mean being able to contribute the higher quality standards of this place which got me hooked to it in the first place. Ever since, it has been a great journey & there is an immense sense of pride & satisfaction to see where we have reached today. The support group is one of the best minds one can have to interact with to achieve a common goal Team-Bhp i.e. to set high standards for everything that we do. The Distinguished Bhpians are like the better half of the overall Support team that we need, to set & maintain the standards that we feel proud of.

As we complete 10 years, it feels great to know that we took the right decisions(some of which were very hard) & feel confident that we are on the right track. All the love & support of all the bhpians who we interact with everyday, to make our day even better, makes Team-bhp the perfect place to be. So Happy 10th Anniversary Team-Bhp

Finally it would have been impossible for all of us Team-Bhpians to have this wonderful place if it wasn't for GTO's vision & dedication. So I thank him from all of us for giving us this wonderful place