[funkykar]

The love for driving is eternal. True driving enthusiasts would love to drive anything with a motor and 4 wheels. I have owned several different cars, scooters and bikes all my life. The number is so staggering most would be in disbelief. My mind is pretty crazy, I myself cannot describe . Right from a column shift Padmini, Ambassador to a floor shift Padmini, Ambassador, Tata Safari, Maruti 800, host of new-age Fiats, owned 3 or more of them at any point in time. I have grown up hearing people say 'Learn to drive an Ambassador, you can drive any vehicle'. I honestly did not understand why they said that. I learnt and drove Maruti 800 as my first car in 2003. We weren't a car family, hence had to go to a driving school to learn. Some of the old-timers including my dad asked me to choose an Ambassador. The driving school fellows just laughed at my request. Even for them who choose cheap cars, Ambassador was already history and learnt on a Maruti 800. After learning to drive, I got very good friends company who gave lot of gyaan and learnt some good driving manners. However, the experience with Maruti 800 was so boring, I learnt nothing about the car as it wasn't necessary. By end of ownership, I could identify what was a battery and where to fill wiper fluid. Period.

Then came a 118NE in my life, followed by a barrage of Padminis and later on few Ambassadors. This is when a need to learn and understand car mechanicals came. It was such a welcome change and a loving experience. I would spend hours and hours with my erstwhile mechanic and to understand how stuff worked. Each car gave me a lot of learning. From 0 to my knowledge became quite something(I don't reckon myself as an expert). The most crude were the column shifters (requires a bit of learning and knack) of Ambassador, the floor shift of the Isuzu 2.0 Bench Seat model and briefly Tata Safari Dicor. The throw of floor shifts of Ambassador and Safari were so much that often one has to search all around if their subconscious mind doesn't remember which gear car was in.

Call it a mid-life crisis or whatever, there should be some spice once a while with driving and never knew how it would come, after all the year was 2020. In mid-December 2020, on a very lazy typically cold Bangalore weekend night, a friend who hails from Kerala, but has been in UK since long messaged me an ad in OLX of a used 2009 Tata 407. He said it was quite rare and it had a 4x4. I was surprised to know about 4x4, at the same time was least bothered or interested on the 407 or to dig more information. Moreover, this was in Chikmagalur which is 250 km away from Bangalore. As friend insisted to find more info, reluctantly I messaged and asked his number. Just to see if its genuine person, I clicked on call button with only intention to see what name it flashes on Truecaller, and for some reason my phone froze for a moment and it gave a missed call, I too hadn't realised.

Next day morning, which happened to be a Sunday, I get a call at 06:10HRS and was woken from a very deep sleep. Caller in Mangalore Kannada accent talks to me. I kept saying wrong number and kept calling me back. I put the phone to silent and went to sleep again. Later in the evening, I recalled about the call early morning, and after seeing caller list, I realised it had come from the same number I had given missed call previous night.

Since he had called several times, I felt sorry and called him back. He spoke very nicely and explained about the 407 very well. Right from its history of his earlier employer who owned it, how and when he purchased etc. He did confirm it was the 4x4 and wasn't an incorrect auto-populated listing in OLX. Suddenly out of nowhere it became interesting. I promptly relayed back all the info including expected price to my friend. I thought my job was over. The curiosity in my friend would die down and we are done.

However, he replies immediately and here goes the conversation:

Friend: 'What next? How do we go about this'.

Me: What 'What next?', send someone from your town and have them check it out.

Friend: I dont have anyone who could do such a thing. Do you have any friends who own a 407 in their farm or anything?

Me: No. I don't know anyone of that sort. Even if I do, how can they helps us. The vehicle is 250kms away

Friend: He was quite disappointed and with some reluctance, he asked why don't you go and check it out?

Me: What? How can I check out? I don't know a thing about these large vehicles. Moreover, this is a yellow board, used quite a bit. How on earth can assess it?

Friend: I don't know man. I feel you can do it. Somehow I know you can do it.

Me: Aaah, don't try to hype me up. I will try my best to pay a visit. With the year-end and holidays approaching, my work is too busy, I cant take a day off and have to visit only in weekend. I will let you know if possible

Friend: Follows up after 2 days promptly

Me: You still serious about this mate? Ok. I seem to be free on Saturday the 19th. I am agreeing to this only because it was Chikmagalur and I wouldn't mind driving down for the pleasure of driving.

Friend: Ok great. You see the vehicle and call me. Let's see how it goes.

Just for sake of company I asked Bhpian Arun1100. He said it wasn't possible as he had some family commitments. HE said if it was the next day he was very very interested. I had some family commitments the next day and I couldn't. I did not want to postpone this and somehow wanted to get done with.

I asked ex-bhpian Greenday, he too couldn't as he was in Mangalore already. Then I turned to my college buddy Girish Bhargav. Asked him to come over and set proper expectations that it was just to enjoy a drive and I would have some personal work for about an hour in Chikmagalur. He was happy to join as he was free on that day

[funkykar]

Then on the 19th December of 2020, my friend Girish promptly showed up sometime after breakfast. We got going in my Fiat Linea soon after and I outlined a plan to him. We will drive up there, finish seeing the Tata 407, then push off. We initially had plan of spending a few mins at Yagachi dam but dropped it. The weather had cleared after cyclone just a couple of days earlier and it was extraordinarily clear and sunny. When we were passing Belur, we did not feel like getting down at Yagachi. We then thought let's finish the objective of seeing the 407, then we shall see how to spend rest of the day around. We called the owner and took the exact address where to reach.

By late noon, we reached the place. When we saw the Tata 407, we were awestruck. It really was appearing very good. I immediately whispered to Girish "WE HAVE SOME SERIOUS WORK TO DO GIRI". The owner tossed the keys to my hand and asked me to take it for a spin. Little did he know I had never driven one before. That too, the place was an empty site between 2 houses on a very narrow street. The vehicle had to be taken out on stones placed to cover the gutter. I wasn't too keen to do this. Hence I tossed it back to him and said I need to inspect a few things before I drive. I want to check on the engine sound, smoke it emits and blah blah, and sent him to go fire the engine. I was actually evading to drive. Then got into the cabin. Goodness, it felt like we were sitting in the first-floor balcony of a house. Then I asked him to drive to some open place where we can further check out.

He drove us a few kilometres. He was too keen to showcase the 4x4. He took us to a place which really required the use of 4x4 and we were mightily impressed. He then pulled over and asked us to drive. We took it for a spin and drove like 3-4 kilometres on different types of roads and were quite impressed. The engine sounded crisp, suspension was good, felt harsh as it was without any load.

I really had to use all of my driving and ownership experience of past to make a good judgement on behalf of my friend. Here are some things we checked in detail:

- Figure if it has accidents. Various things on doors and in the cabin we verified
- Check all-round vehicle for rusts. None on chassis and body. Some found on exhaust and misc areas which is not a worry
- All the 4 tyres were old and hard.
- Battery was good
- Power, pickup and torque was good. This is naturally aspirated and engine note was very healthy
- No heating issues. No leaks from radiator
- No leaks of engine, Gearbox, brakes or differential oils
- Engine did not appear to be touched
- Checked for any sounds or issues of the 4x4
- Brakes were nice and good. Could tell there is a lot of life left too
- All electricals functioned properly including wiper
- RC, insurance, permit and Fitness verified and validated online too.
- Checked operation of the tipper. All found to be good. The tipper lever had become loose and would engage while driving. Owner said he will get that tightened.

See how clean the cabin is for a 11 year old commercial plate Tata 407


Pic of the engine bay


Pic of the engine bay. Quite neat and clean


Frontal view


Frontal view


The meter. We later released speedo and temp weren't working. I overlooked


The clean radiator


The rear differencial


Side view showcasing the tipper


The tipper



With no experience of such a big vehicle, I was still able to convincingly say that this was a good one beyond any doubt .

We then told the owner we will call him back later in the day. We were very hungry as a lot of time had passed. We asked him for directions of any good hotel which isn't far away.

While we ordered food, I quickly messaged my friend a summary of what transpired. He was quick to respond too. He was super happy. He was also elated that his gut feel that I can make a decision was bang on too. In no time, he asked me to negotiate to a good price and finalize and pay a token advance. I was like wow!! My friend Girish was literally in shock. He had no idea that my friend approved of it being remote. While having lunch, I called the owner and asked him to come over near the hotel to discuss further.

The owner came after a few minutes. We sat down and finalized a price. I googepay him an advance and we were on. We also discussed a few terms like:
- Owner helps us procure a NOC. Agreed.
- Some part of the payment will be held back until NOC comes. Agreed.
- As this was a big vehicle and yellow board, the owner will have to send across a driver to drop the vehicle to Kerala. He agreed and was more than willing to help. He said we don't even need to pay the driver as he will work out something and get a driver from his previous employer who have few drivers on their payroll and not having much work due to corona. We just have to pay return train/bus tickets.
- In a week, most of the payment should complete only after which we can take delivery of the 407

A step back, my friend had requested me to be part of the drive to Kerala along with the driver. I had told him, I will try, cant promise as it will be a few days affair and also the need of using public transport which may be risky amidst the pandemic. He had no choice and said fine.

With a lot of happiness and mixed emotions, we left the place. By then it was early evening and me and Girish decided to go to Mullayanagiri. One of the most beautiful places in Karnataka. Just a few pics to enjoy:

The majestic Mullayanagiri


The majestic Mullayanagiri


Then something hit my mind. What does it take for me to drive the Tata 407 to Kerala? If I apply for LGV license and yellow badge, how quickly can my agent get it done? Had no idea about the process nor eligibility. Several questions lingered, even if I get the license, will I have 3-4 days time to do this expedition. Being a big vehicle, who will accompany? Is it worth the risk? Have to drive through Tamil Nadu and Kerala, maybe several ghat sections and narrow roads. Mind was flip-flopping on me trying to do this VS having owner send a driver and be done with it.

[funkykar]

In the following days, we paid the seller a sizeable advance using online transfer and requested for 2-3 days more to pick the vehicle. He started the NOC process too and was following up constantly with the agent to get it done soon.

Meanwhile, I wasn't done with the idea of possibly driving the 407 myself to Kerala. The very next day I called my RTO agent who also is a good friend now. I asked him process to obtain a yellow badge and get a DL for LGV/HTV. He asked me why. I just said, don't ask why just tell me process and how quickly can I get it. He insisted I tell him. Then I told I wanted to drive the 407 from Chikmagalur to Kerala. He quickly replied there is nothing called LGV license anymore and one can drive any vehicle up to 7.5 ton with LMV. He said there has been some ruling recently by Supreme Court. Yellow badge also wasn't necessary for this. I was like 'really? How can this be'. Even team -bhp confirmed the same (Link here (No need to have a Commercial Driving Licence to drive Taxis)). Now, something was really cooking in my mind. I was actually considering doing it myself and was more or less thinking when and how to do it.

The mega confusion:
On the day we visited to check out the 407 after it was finalised, my friend told me the drop off location to be kollengode. When I checked on google map, it showed near Palakkad and was some 450kms from Chikmagalur. But every now and then he kept referring that it was close to Trivandrum. I wasn't too bothered as at that time I did not have ideas to drive and it would have been the driver the seller was to send.

What we initially thought:


In later days, when he kept referring to Trivandrum and kept saying its better to take a route which is only Tamil Nadu, and kept saying first manage and get it to Bangalore, I questioned him. Only then we realised there is another 'kollamcode' which is in the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, technically belongs to Tamil Nadu and that was the drop off location. Hence he was insisting to get to Bangalore. The entire plan got rebooted. When I check google map, it was a massive 950+ km from Chikmagalur. I was nervously excited.

What it actually was:

[funkykar]

In the following days, we cleared most of the payment and was time to take the delivery of the Tata 407. I also had made up my mind. Come what may I am going to drive this thing and deliver it to his place near Trivandrum. Since it had to make it to Bangalore anyway, we chose 24th of December to get the 407 to Bangalore along with the ready NOC and paperwork. Wanted to avoid the long weekend that followed and also wanted to keep myself free and available to spend time with family.

I checked with my friend Girish who couldn't make it during weekdays. Ex-Bhpian Chethan and Bhpian Arun1100 too couldn't make it. After I had decided to drive this all the way, I had spoken to ex-Bhpian Sujith1100 and requested him to join me. He had some commitments on certain days of the week. Barring that he was ready to come and help me out. Sujith is an Automobile Engineer with immense knowledge. HE has also been a trainer and trains Service Advisors of multiple car brands. HE has been into rallying also since many years. Does lot of repairs himself on his Punto, Padmini, some vintage 2 wheelers and other cars they owned in past. He has immense driving experience and driven length and breadth of the country. As this journey was 1000+ km, he was a perfect companion for me. So we split the journey into 2:
1) Go to Chikmagalur and drive it back to Bangalore
2) Find another slot where we have at least 3 days and drop it to Kollamcode, Tamil Nadu.

Part 1 - Chikmagalur to Bangalore
For the 24th of December, it was just me and Sujith. Did not have the luxury of someone driving us in car to Chikmagalur so me and Sujith could drive back on the 407. We decided to check out state transport bus (KSRTC) and expected it to be less crowded being weekday. If it was crowded, we would abandon and look for other means was the plan. We reached the bus stand by 6.30 and found a couple of buses and were quite empty. We also saw a non-stop bus to Hassan, which was to start any minute. We chose to go in that bus and then hop on to another from there to save time.

Masks, compulsory. By choice, not force


Quite empty


Lovely KSRTC


We reached Hassan in no time, had quick breakfast and we found a bus to Chikmagalur in no time too. I was anxious on what the automobile expert Sujith would exclaim of how well I have chosen the 407. HE generally is straight forward and minces no words. We reached the place, wasted no time, quickly verified all the paperwork and NOC. We checked out the 407 again to ensure all was good.



Sujith was elated too. Even he was quite surprised how anyone can find such a well maintained yellow board vehicle. That was so relieving for me. The seller then realised someone had stolen the fancy horns overnight. Since the vehicle was considered sold after our test drive, he let the vehicle be at the empty space next to his home. If not he parks in a godown nearby. That was quite a concern for us as we are new to this vehicle. We couldn't find any electrician nearby and decided to take care of it on any nearby highway shops.

Soon after, we started our journey to Bangalore. The first few kilometres were filled with nerves. Lot of butterfly in stomach.

A selfie by Sujith


Me driving


We then filled her belly and proceeded on the single carriage lanes. After we did 10 km, we noticed some wobbling of the front wheel at certain times at certain speeds, wasn't too concerning. In no time, I got a grip of the vehicle. This is where all the experience driving classic cars like Padmini and Ambassador came in. I really felt at home!! When we reached Belur, we found a shop selling auto electricals and an electrician besides the shop working on some vehicle. The shop keeper was nice chap, however the electrical for some reason was least bothered to even talk to us. After a wasted 20minutes, we decided to try elsewhere.

Waited for electrician to no avail


The Propellor Shaft snaps!!
After we got going from Belur, just after 2 km, we hear a loud noise. Metal hitting tarmac. The RPM dropped and vehicle lost all power. I was quick to cost the vehicle to the leftmost to not have a break down that blocks other vehicles. As soon as we got down, we noticed it was the propellor shaft! There were a few people around and had some knowledge of these vehicles (not that we needed help). One of them exclaimed 'It's not broken, just the bolts were off, go fetch a mechanic'. Sujith calmly took the propellor shaft inside the cabin while I collected some of the bolts I could spot at a distance. I was like how do we deal with this breakdown. Our entire day will be a mess. Then Sujith reminds me this is a 4x4 and we can engage it and drive as a front-wheel-drive vehicle. All the people around were shocked to see us get into the vehicle. One of them asked what we were doing and why we aren't getting a mechanic. Sujith says to them, we will drive it to the mechanic. They started laughing saying its impossible. Then Sujith said its a 4x4. They were awestruck to know its a 4X4. We then drove to the nearest mechanic.

We parked and found a guy who may be 20-21yrs age. HE asked what the problem was. We explained it to him. HE dint seem to understand one bit and said he will call mechanic. He called and gave the phone to me. I explained what happened and the propellor shaft was off. HE couldn't understand what propellor shaft was. I think probably said to him the joint between gearbox and differential is off and he understood. HE said he will come in 10 min. I then pestered the young man. Why wasn't he looking at the issue? Then he replied he is an electrician I was elated. I told him the horn was stolen and we need him to go get a set and fit it. He quickly went on a bike and got them. HE happened to go the same shop where we had earlier wasted some time. By then the mechanic also arrived. He also confirmed that bolts were probably loose and have come off, nothing else. He went and purchased the bolts for it while the electrician started the horn work.

Sujith holding the Propellor shaft


Placed it inside the cabin and go in search of mechanic


You can see the Propellor shaft missing


The garage we found nearby


While we waited


Mechanic in action


Parallelly, the electrician fitted the horn


The 407 was now ready:




In about an hours time, we were good to go. Sujith's knowledge and experience was of immense help here. He guided and instructed the mechanic to check many more things to ensure all was Ok. He was not just thinking drive till Bangalore but to the final destination of Kollamcode. The mechanic was super confused with our attire, the knowledge too as we precisely told him what to do and also about me and Sujith conversing in English. Our outfit did not match the vehicle or our knowledge. Then we told him the story and he was mightily impressed with the vehicle as well.

Once we set sail, we cruised very comfortably as if we have been driving 407 all our life. The single lane or 4 lane, come what may, we were comfortable. The previous day, Bhpian Aditya Hemmige had shown keen interest in seeing the 407 when we pass Hassan his native and he happened to be there for the upcoming long weekend. We quickly spoke to Aditya and fixed up a place on ring road where we could meet. Luckily there was a good hotel and we stopped by. As soon as we stopped, the owner came running to shoo us away. After he saw our outfit and our intention to get to his hotel, he calmed down
At the hotel to meet Aditya Hemmige


The 3 of us had some snacks and good coffee. Then Aditya drove the 407 for a few kilometres and got back some memories of their family owning a 407 long back for form use. Soon after, we continued our journey to Bangalore.

Aditya Hemmige driving, of course with a mask:


Cleaning windshield before we continue to Bangalore


We did good speeds between 65-90kmph and was an uneventful drive. We finally reached home and parked it safely. I told Sujith in following days I will make a plan for us to drive to Kollemcode and deliver the 407

[funkykar]

The 407 had already done about 275kms in our hands including test drive etc. Hardly had any worry. Bangalore to Kollemcode was quite a distance, so we better be prepared a bit. Along with Sujith, now even Chethan wanted to desperately be part of this drive. Arun1100 had few commitments and he couldn't make it. If not, plan was to take my Linea along which would be handy while returning but wasn't the case.

Preparation for the drive to Kollemcode:
Sujith now was a requirement for this drive. Just to get everything right, I made a good checklist. Also, my friend had purchased a couple of 2 wheelers from Bangalore and I had to transport it for him. Due to Covid, it was at my house since few months. Now that we have a 407 to drop to his place, was a perfect opportunity to transport the Bajaj M80 and Bajaj Sunny. Sujith again was a requirement for this. He is quite an expert in tying knots and securing things. He just has the knack also. Just to be sure we don't miss anything, I made an exhaustive checklist:


Now the big concern was how to do we get back after delivering the 407? My friend was courteous enough to say he will get us a drop to Trivandrum Airport which is the closest. We are never in favour of flying back, also these were covid times. The driving enthusiasts within us thought of something different. I suggested to Chethan that we drive in both our Lineas to Kollam, leave one of the Lineas there and return. At Kollam, we have a dear friend Varun who we all know since many years. We are connected by the love for Fiats and friends forever. Chethan agreed to this plan instantly and volunteered to leave his Linea with Varun. We also chose Kollam so we can meet Varun. We checked with Sujith and my friend Girish. They were also available a quick non-stop drive. Onward we took Salem-Madurai route so that we could stop by Srivalliputtur to pick some tasty milk halva and return we came through Kochi so that we can pick some crispy and yummy banana chips from Alathur. Both of them were worthwhile as everyone at home and friends enjoyed what we got for them. This is the route for the non stop journey the 4 os us had:


Once back in Bangalore, we were all set. We had to find a suitable 2-3 days time when myself, Sujith and Chethan were available to make this epic journey.

Now everything was set to make the journey. We had gathered all necessary info to obtain permits. We set the date as 8th Friday, January 2021. We very quickly got set with everything related to the drive and ensured we had all that we mentioned in the checklist.

Challenge of loading the 2 wheelers onto the tipper.
As this 407 has a tipper, the loading height is too high. This posed a great challenge for us. How do we load them? The 407 is already parked half a mile away from home. Me and Chethan set off roaming the neighbourhood on a 2-wheeler to find any suitable spot where we could load the 2 wheelers. I vaguely remembered a tall road next to a crossroad near my home. We had taken the height measurements of the 407 loading area. When we went to this place, it was more than perfect. We just had to lift the 2 wheeler just about a foot and we would load it into the 407. Such a saviour this.

I managed to gather some packing material of cardboards, thermocoles, wires with help of my colleague Sunil Kumar who was more than ready to help. Even he was interested in this expedition. However, this plan allowed only 3 members and we were already 3.


Place where we could load the 2-wheelers:


Place where we could load the 2-wheelers


Chethan thinking if he can manage to stay there and keep the 2-wheelers secure


Chethan trying to keep them as secure as we had to move our 407 to avoid traffic jam


Just after loading


Sujith tying the 2 wheelers securely


Sujith tying the 2 wheelers securely


Sujith tying


Sujith tying the 2 wheelers securely


Tools carried by Sujith

[funkykar]

The drive day- Jan 8th, 2020
The run-up to this date, I planned in a way this day should be a relaxed and chilled out day as we were to start in the night around 2300HRS. However, there were a lot of rains the entire week and we couldn't manage to get the 2 wheelers loaded and had to happen on the drive day. That evening me, Chethan and Sujith managed to take the 2 wheelers to that loading place and took the 407 there. We had to load them in like 60 seconds as this was a very busy street and we would be blocking traffic and will be a bit of mess. Sujith and Chethan enjoyed and rode the 2-wheelers to the loading area and gave me a call to get the 407. I drove it there and in less than a minute we had finished loading them. We then drove to a nearby place where we could peacefully pack the 2 wheelers. All of the 2 wheelers who had parked in nearby establishments went helter-skelter thinking we are Bangalore Traffic Police lifting vehicles, was a super funny sight

Sujith then tied up both the 2 wheelers with quite a bit of ease. Honestly, my contribution to this was at max handing him what he asked for. He did not even use the cardboard and a lot of things I had got for this work. Since it did not look fancy, I had a feeling it won't last even 10 kilometres until we reach Sujiths home to pick him later in the night. Since he was the expert and I was the underdog I shut my mouth. It's a different thing that it did not move even an inch for the rest of the 1000kms we eventually drove

8th Jan 2021, 2300 HRS
Arun1100 comes home. Brings very good home-cooked meals for both me and Chethan. We were so busy with all the packing and etc, we had completely forgotten to have our dinner. After we say the food, we realised how much we were starving. Earlier, I had spent over 40 minutes washing the 407 and cleaning the windshield several times with toothpaste as it had a lot of scratches and night visibility was poor.

While we sumptuously ate, Arun verified a lot of things on the 407 including our checklist, the documents we were carrying and also ensured all the fluids were topped, gave us some power banks and snacks for the drive. After fuelling, we started exactly at 0000HRS 9th Jan 2021. By time we picked Sujith it was 00:40HRS. As we had a long journey ahead, we wasted no time set sail right away. While I drove, Sujith had researched on the process to obtain a temporary permit and had all the papers ready. Once we were at the border, me and Sujith headed to the counter to obtain permit while Chethan would inspect if our cargo was secure enough and also let Arun go back home and monitor our progress.

Arun1100 joined us at the fuelling station and was with us till about Hosur in his Ford Fiesta. He mainly wanted to be with us until we got TN state permit after which we were good to go. Just realized, we did not happen to capture many pictures. All that we captured:

Arun at Reddy petrol pump, Seshadripuram. A very trusted bunk in Bangalore


Enroute to Hosur with Arun, while my friend Girish drove his Fiesta


Aruns click before he left back to Bangalore


Me and Sujith were back in a jiffy! Except for a couple of minor hitches, we had the permit. Back in the cabin, discussion of what route to take came up. Just a week ago we had done the default route of Bangalore-Hosur-Salem-Dindigul-Madurai-Kollam. I proposed them another route. We don't get a chance to do such a drive anytime in life, why not make it longer, more adventurous and more fun. Also, the 'Tamilnaduweatherman' popular weather blogger had mentioned 9-11th or the likes of it will be full of rains within Tamil Nadu and more towards the coast. Now, be it Fiat or Tata 407, who wouldn't like to drive in rains. We also wanted to drive a lot in single carriage roads. So, instantly I came up with a random route. None of the 3 had done such a route before. The plan was Bangalore-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Ambur-Vellore-Polur-Thiruvannamalai-Villupuram-Ulundurpet-Perambalur-Thiruchinapalli- Melur-Madurai-Thirunalveli-Nagercoil-Kollamcode. This route would get us all the types of roads, a lot of rain and not a frequented route. Both Chethan and Sujith accepted the idea as they were also already loving the drive in the 407.

After the turnoff from Krishnagiri, we literally belted on the empty 6 lane for over 100 km. Then we hit single carriageway for over 100kms until we reached NH38. The entirety of single carriageway driving was done by Sujith. He wanted to drive this beast straight away in not so easy driving conditions. Honestly, it was quite difficult driving in single carriageway as the windshield was in bad shape and oncoming HighBeam and even low beam would cause a lot of refraction and hurt the eye. Sujith banked on all his years of driving experience and made it look so easy.

Later on, we stopped for a really refreshing and yummy tea when daylight broke. Our cargo remained intact, not an inch it had moved.

A selfie at chai break. Was a lovely single carriageway


Sujith driving


Sujith was desperately waiting to have some of the authentic tea made in these boilers


The boiler



We then continued on and finally stopped at a place to have some breakfast. The food here was very delicious and even the coffee was very tasty. From here on, Chethan took the wheel and he too enjoyed driving the 407 for maybe next 200 kilometres. None of us had even a minutes sleep, yet we were fresh and fine. We encountered lots of rains in our drive too.

Idli and wonderful accompaniments


Breakfast was too good


Coffee tasted authentic


Our cargo was intact. Unmoved.



We had a late lunch in a place called Temple Hotel. This place was after Madurai, a huge place and served delicious south Indian meal. There were 2 options. 1 which was 100rs and other with additional items at 140rs. Both were unlimited meals. With not a great appetite we chose the 100rs one. A mountain of rice and every item given delicious, we had a stomach full. It was a very satisfying meal.

Pics we took during lunch


Pics we took during lunch


Pics we took during lunch



I took the wheel back from Chethan. Sujith warned me ahead of things. He told me traffic will get really bad after we hit Nagercoil and will have to drive in a lot of frustrating traffic for quite a while. I accordingly set my mind and we headed to the destination. We kept updating my friend on our progress. Honestly, he was mightily impressed with how quickly we were moving even though we had taken a route which was 150-200kms longer. Most of the time he was in disbelief that we chose to take a difficult and longer route. He was fine with it as long as the mission is accomplished and we are enjoying ourselves.

Arun called and reminded me that we needed to take a pic as we did on my Ambassador a few years ago as documented here. He said it wasn't an option to skip and was mandatory.



Our idea was to reach the destination by 200HRS which meant if we were to stop for a photoshoot, it had to be just 5-10 mins. Also, we did not have any cameras or a tripod or not even a selfie stick. We really wanted to get a timed shot as close to the ambassador shot we had taken with Arun. Now, Sujith used some of the cardboard and made makeshift tripod that could capture some of the below shots. We dint have time to capture the makeshift tripod properly.

Chethan and his antics


Chethan and his antics


Chethan and Sujith


Chethan and his posing antics


Chethan and his antics


Chethan and his antics


Me trying hard to pose


ME posing


Timered shot using tripod made by Sujith


What a car it has been all the while. Hats off!


Chethan after inspecting cargo


The makeshift tripod Sujith made


We egged on and we reached Nagercoil. Sujith had prearranged an escort for us. He asked me what car I would like. He named a host of cars including many luxury ones, but I chose the Jeep Compass. Being his cousins car, I knew I would get to drive it too. His cousin had come down from UK for the holidays and was kind of stuck with no flights to go back. His cousin Tom was also kind enough to offer his car to go all the way to Kollam next day where Chethans Linea awaited us.

The last 2+ hrs was quite horrible to drive. Extreme traffic, we were also quite fatigued. I had really set my mind up for this and was quite Ok with it. There were all the ingredients to get frustrated, get pissed off and whatnot. This is where all of ur past driving experience came to the rescue. After a lot of confusion with routes and address, finally, we made it to the destination around 2130HRS. On one hand, we were extremely happy that the very long day has finally come to an end, especially after the hard traffic of 100+ minutes. On the other hand, our association with the 407 is over. 1300+ kilometres of fun and happiness would come to an end.

The very last sight of the Tata 407 which has been such a wonderful companion last 24 hours and in general last few days


We handed over the vehicles, its documents and then got into the Jeep Compass. All 3 were super tired and probably smelled bad too. Sujiths cousin Tom hooked us up to a very nearby hotel in Poovar. It was very late in the night. We had skipped dinner also. HE managed to get us some packed food. We ate well, had a shover and crashed for the night.

As the speedo was conked, we used Ulyssy app for measuring the speeds and distances. Unfortunately, this spare phone did not work properly initially for a couple of hours as the GPS wouldn't lock. Just sometime after Krishnagiri it started to work. We surely covered 1000+ km in this journey:

[funkykar]

Jan 10th, 2021 - A beautiful surprise
We had no idea where we were or anything. All we knew the previous night as we were damn tired and checked into the nearest available hotel. We had closed all the curtains in a way that morning sunlight doesn't wake us. Chethan and Sujith woke up and were sorting their belongings and figuring how to order Tea. I woke up and asked them what the time was. They said around 8am and told them to open the curtains and windows. Let's be done with the comfort of AC, let's turn it off. This is when we removed the curtains to find we were right next to the backwaters and we had the best room of the hotel. Our moods instantly changed and became lazy. For the first time in the trip, we never wanted to go anywhere and wanted time to freeze on us.

Suprise view from the room in the morning:


Awesome view


Awesome view


Awesome view


Mesmerizing


A selfie with the Hotel we stayed



We relaxed our time in the balcony and lazily got ready. By 11AM, Tom had sent the Jeep Compass for us to be dropped off at Kollam. Of course, we would drive and driver would seat as a passenger. Varun then called and said he is willing to come halfway from Kollam in Linea so we can have more time with him. We mutually decided to meet at Attingal. Here, we 3 will get onto the Linea driven by Varun.

We started our drive to Attingal by 11.30. We were so lazy with the view the room had, we forgot to have breakfast. The previous evening Sujith had promised us a special sharbat in Nagercoil made up of Orange coconut juice and palm fruit, fondly known as nungu sharbath in this part of town. Due to tight schedule and extreme traffic, we missed previous evening. We kept ragging Sujith that he did not keep up his promise. He got too determined and started asking every shop selling palm fruit/tender coconut, finally paid off at a shop. We had a great way of breaking fast with a nungu sharbat and orange-coloured tender coconut, which looks small but surprisingly has lots and lots of water and very very sweet.

The roads resembled monsoon.


Was a rainy day


Our Jeep Compass


Our Jeep Compass


Me driving testing driving the Jeep Compass, surely drove Sujith mad who suffers from motion sickness


Kerala, the land of Ambassadors, still using one of them for driving classes


The NUNG Sharbat we desperately wanted as breaking fast


Was quite filling, of course very tasty


The palm fruit


Surprisingly tasty and very good quantity



We continued our drive on the Jeep Compass. This was the first time I drove the Compass. I loved the way it handled and the super silent diesel engine. Until I pointed out, Sujith and Chethan had assumed it was a petrol. It has oodles of torque and also delivered an impressive mileage. My next upgrade was confirmed to be the Jeep Compass, maybe after a year or two. We finally met Varun at Attingal and said goodbye to the lovely Jeep Compass.

[funkykar]

The drive back to Bangalore
Now that our mission was accomplished of the 407 and we were reunited with Chethan's Linea, it was now about getting back to Bangalore. But again, why would we want that to be a vanilla drive. Let's spice it up! We told Varun get us some good local food, good boiled rice and fish. He isn't a foodie, so he rang up his bro who is a proper foodie. Since the theme wasn't to go to a restaurant and want something local, he suggested us to visit some toddy shop nearby. In Kerala, toddy shops are quite modern and like a low-cost family restaurant. By the time we reached the place, we were damn hungry. Whatever the waiter said they had, we ordered a plate of it. Only later we realised one plate is very very large. We suddenly had too much food on our table. We ate a stomach full. The remains, we happily got it packed and decided we will eat it for dinner.

The fish


Crab and Squid


'Dosha' as they call it


Squid


From here, Varun took us through some interior coastal roads and also took us to his farm. ITs on a narrow land which is in between the sea and backwaters. What a beautiful place it was.


First view of beach after taking coastal route


The beach


Pretty clean beach!


The Linea, on the rocks!


Lovely view of the beach


Lovely waves


Weather was superb


Just lovely


Me enjoying the beach


Sujith wanted a selfie with me. I obliged


Had a tea at roadside stall. Just clicked what was ahead of me. Weather made it look lovely



We spent a lot of time lazing on the beach and in Varun's farm and then finally decided to go to Bangalore. Plan now was to do non stop to Bangalore and reach early hours of 11th January 2020. Sujith who got a bit pissed off of my Jeep Compass spirited driving wouldn't let me touch the steering wheel of the Linea . I was quite fine with it and decided to be his navigator all night. Meanwhile, the leftover food served us well and was just enough for our dinner too. All 3 were so happy to not waste food.

Pond for fish cultivation at Varuns farm


Beach opposite to Varuns farm


One selfie with Varun



While we had food, a lot of people adored the hairdo of Chethan and even took selfies. Some were even asking if it was a wig or real. He had a great fan following and after a while, he was even getting pissed off the attention like celebs do.

Fans asking selfie to Chethan


Fans asking selfie to Chethan


The last selfie of our epic drive


We reached home by 06:30 HS and an epic journey came to an end. This surely is one of the most unforgettable ones in our lifetime. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who was part of this. Even the minutest help they did was of great help.

[funkykar]

Here are some of the random pics we clicked while we cruised on the 407:

On the electronic city flyover before we left Bangalore. One can see how bad the windshield is


While we had stopped for applying permit


A shot while we drove on the single carriage way


A tea stop we had somewhere, I don't remember


Tea was refreshing


A tea stop we had somewhere, I don't remember


While we cruised


While we cruised


While we cruised


While we cruised


While we cruised


While we cruised


While we cruised


While we cruised


Here are some of the videos we managed to capture:

Me driving the 407, just after we got the horn fitted at Belur. We realised it had this musical cut-out, typical of these , hence had some fun

https://youtu.be/PkMkfuSJwkc

Sujith1100 driving the Tata 407

https://youtu.be/KX9awfVwuwI

Chethan driving the Tata 407

https://youtu.be/gTJ2hqZ62jE

Driving the 407 amidst heavy rains

https://youtu.be/q1vPJg9V5Xc

One of the times we were driving on rainwater logged

https://youtu.be/53UAXdPrfLE

Heavy rain while we were driving the Linea

https://youtu.be/r9v8BCXkeW4

Lovely waves, somewhere near Kollam

https://youtu.be/hStLTqsPLwo

The 407 had a poor windshield (in comparison to cars, otherwise most said what we had was very good, LOL). The tyres were old, hard as a rock. We had wobbly front right wheel at certain RPMs, yet this vehicle was quite fun to drive! Look at the state of the tyres:









All in all, we had a fantastic experience driving the 407 4x4 for close to 1300kms. Many of us don't get an opportunity to drive such large vehicles, and we had the pleasure of having a customized road trip. We leaving the Linea at Kollam beforehand so we have a car to drive after dropping 407 also was a fun trip. There was a lot of nerves, excitement, happiness and end of the day a sense of satisfaction one cannot describe.

I cant thank enough my best buddies who always are ready for an adventure and ready to support each other when there is need. Words cannot express this bonding.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[knrn]

Aha. It makes me extremely happy when I get to have the first comment on a fresh thread. Yippee!!!

Another yippee !!!! For the thread. Wow. What a ride. What a drive. And amidst fantastic surroundings too. This was a drive of contrasts- 4*4 to 4*2 then again 4*4 to the mighty compass and the silky linea. What an amazing ride and time you guys had. Was fun reading this the first thing in the morning. I too have a fascination with trucks. Brought out the child in me. Couldn't stop smiling the entire time I read. An adventure to remember for a lifetime. Thanks for giving this wonderful experience and wishing you many more adventures like these. Amazing.

Keep it up and god bless you motorheads.

[GTO]

Funkykar dude! You are having way too much fun in life (going by your threads & posts) . Congrats & keep living it up. Life is all about smiles & experiences, not just being stuck working behind a laptop screen.

I have also driven a Tata 407 , but the standard 4x2. It was one hell of an experience, I will never forget it. We'd gone for a holiday at a friend's poultry farm in Alibagh where he owns acres & acres of land. One evening, we wanted to go get ice cream from the city, but the CJ340 Jeep was undriveable. Looked around and the only vehicle available was a 407 which they use to transport poultry stuff. Drove it like a boss! I remember it being surprisingly quick for a truck, and surprisingly easy to drive. With that skyscraper seating position (compared to regular cars), I sure felt like the king of the road.

Your thread is going to our homepage today!

[paragsachania]

Awesome Karthik. While I thoroughly enjoyed those pictures and videos you would share while you drove, reading about this epic drive makes it even more enthralling.

Again, I would like you say this here: Passion has no bounds, and when it comes to passion to drive, one should love driving just anything that has wheels. That you drove a proper LCV all the way to another state and had all the fun is a mean feat man. Not done!!!

Beyond all this, the wonderful planning and preparation for the drive takes the cake because it was an unusual one with an unusual vehicle. Take a bow!!!

[V.Narayan]

Oh Gwad. Oh Gwad. The bestest* most fun loving road trip story I have read on Team BHP. The three of you are N-U-T-S. God bless you. That's the spirit. The Tata 407 is a cute vehicle to drive and an empty one can be quite racy. You guys seem to have thoroughly enjoyed your trip and taken the broken shaft et al in your stride. 35 years ago I used to sell Tata 407s when it was first introduced and at least in those days could drive one But I'll confess even in those days I never drove one more than 40 or 50 kms. Compared to the under powered Tata 1210 the 407 was a breeze to drive. @funkycar you can now make the 407 your daily drive and impress the girls.

* Mods, please, pretty please, don't correct the English :-)

[COMMUTER]

What a feeling it would have been to drive this awesome vehicle. I feel that this is the closest alternative to Unimog on Indian roads. Wish you more fulfilling trips in the following years.