[Sasanka_Sanga]

How can one forget the cult beasts :

1. Tata Sierra (1948 CC with 7 seating capacity in those days)
2. Contessa and the Contessa classic
3. Premier Padmini 118 NE

I am proud to say that I drove all of these and they are the forgotten machines which I think is the right time to put forward.

I am sure any BHP'ian who has association with any of these will definitely put a smile on his/her face.

Keep remembering and keep posting guys.....

[vinair]

This thread going into a completely meaningless one! Sorry, but looking at the entries, it's what it is!

A cult following is a devoted group that just cannot get enough of what it follows! Sheer madness, love, passion, it just cannot be expressed. Now, coming to cars, totally agree some vehicles truly, truly have a cult following, come what may, it just does not fade into sunset anytime!

Looking at the suggestions here (Etios, Matiz!! ), our heads are still not around the topic of discussion yet!!

[landcruiser123]

Cult

a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.

In the context of cars, I'd say cult is somewhere between vintage and mass-market. They aren't vintage as they are not extremely rare and are driven regularly. There is no suitable alternative/replacement for the purpose the vehicle is supposed to serve. Owners/fanboys will go the distance to maintain & acquire these cars.

Considering this, here is my list:
1. TATA Safari- although losing its status to the Innova Crysta and Fortuners as the mango-man's luxo barge
2. Maruti Gypsy- many off-roaders still lust for one
3. Mitsubishi Lancer- owners tell me that there is NO replacement at a sensible price
4. Maruti Omni (not high on the list for comfortable passenger transport/non-utility functions)
5. Tata Sumo- I know drivers in Sikkim who will not touch anything other than a Sumo with a 3.0 4x4
6. Contessa Classic
7. Maruti Zen MH 410

[mmxylorider]

Definition of a cult car depends upon the demographic. In the taxi business, a vehicle that can take abuse, easy to repair/maintain, good mileage, capacity would be their choice. For petrolheads, the passion of enjoying the drive from performance, refinement, tech specs will determine the choice. For people who have seen the Indian automotive scene evolve in front of them (80s onwards) and had the opportunity to ride/drive what was on offer will make a different choice since features or uniqueness of older vehicles did not face the regulations around safety or emissions. For the millennials interested in these things, it’s probably based on what they are reading or hearing from others and might not have the first-hand experience of what that vehicle offered.

The question really is – “10 years down the line, on which vehicle would you spend a good amount of money to acquire it?”

[Magnaspectre]

The cars that hold Cult status in my head:

1. Tata Sierra
2. HM Contessa Classic
3. Mahindra Classic
4. Tata Safari


The Sierra was the best thing in my eyes during those days. It was such a fresh design and the ads on telly and print were brilliant too. Its such a shame that Tata has killed the name. I would buy a modern Sierra with the same basic silhouette and a proper 4X4 (Similar to how I got myself the Mahindra Thar ).

Tata should seriously think of keeping the Sierra and Safari legacies alive atleast similar to how Mahindra is doing.

And what chance, I bumped into the good old Tata Sierra, two days back in Malta! I had read a long time back that Tata cars used to be popular in Malta. (Apologies for the grainy image - It was a dark street and I was a bit tipsy).

[Jakku]

In my opinion, there are many cult cars which have that passionate following (punched much above it's weight).

• To start with, the Ambassador which was a babu's/ politician's de-facto car and which had that "official" stigma attached to it.
• Then we have the ever classic Contessa.
• We have the Maruti 800 which actually turned the car scene in India upside down and for that same reason it is a cult car.
• The Gypsy from again from the Maruti stable has a very long list of passionate followers following and have (like Ambassador which is synonymous with the political/ babu class) the image of a "sena gaadi" (both Army & Police).
• The trio from Tata - Estate, Sierra & Safari were the next ones which really punched above it's weight.
• The Sumo which changed the UV segment.
• The Skoda had the Octavia VRS which had it's own true blue followers.
• Willy's & Thar turns the head every time one sees a copy on-road.

Now these are all the cult cars which I can think of quickly, but I have to select just one out of these and I would select the Tata Safari. As per the review of one bhpian (I don't remember who) - the reason why one would buy a Safari, is just because he/ she needs one. Nothing more than that. It has it's own share of issues/ niggles and many a problems but the owners just love it. I know a person who have bought 3 iterations of Safari who recently bought the Storme version.

In bike section, similarly, there are many which punched above their weight and I don't think just selecting one would not do a justice - Yezdi/ Rajdoot/ Yamaha RX100/ RE Bullet/ Chetak/ LML Vespa/ Lambretta/ Kinetic Honda etc. etc. To select one, I would say it is RE Bullet as it had passionate followers who took a lot of pain to keep it in shape. RX100 also has a similar appeal, but the pain was less in maintaining it. The Kinetic Honda which reshaped the gearless scooter scenario as well had a big fan following, I have a still running sample in my neighbourhood in Kerala (with a tea/ snacks shop owner who uses this for his market errands).

So, here goes my votes.
Tata Safari - CULT CAR
RE Bullet - CULT BIKE
Kinetic Honda - CULT SCOOTER

[colinpete]

Has anyone have the photo of a rare car - Ford Mondeo? Was way ahead of its time with top-notch safety features if I remember right?

My dad owned a Hero Honda 1986 CD100. I learnt riding on that during my school and college days late 90's.

[Pontiac]

One car that is not listed so far and that deserves to be in.


STANDARD 2000


https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...85-1988-a.html (The story of the Standard 2000. 1985-1988)

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by colinpete

Has anyone have the photo of a rare car - - Ford Mondeo !. Was way ahead of its time with top notch safety features if I remember right ??

I have a few pictures of a modified Mondeo that came to the Team-bhp meet in Hyderabad in 2007!

[mmxylorider]

Originally Posted by Pontiac

One car that is not listed so far and that deserves to be in.


STANDARD 2000


https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...85-1988-a.html (The story of the Standard 2000. 1985-1988)

Agreed. However I would lean more towards the styling and the body work which was far ahead of what was on offer in the 80s. Bring that back , new things under the hood, safety aspects and it will garner attention.

[charanreddy]

For me Cult means something ground breaking that set a really new class of thought and is as desirable now as it was during its hey days.. one that we recall with absolute respect for what it stood for even now..

Example.. Per me Dil Chahta Hai is a cult movie. 3 idiots is not.. it's the difference between something that started a new class of thought vs something that used an existing genre and achieved huge commercial success..

In the spirit of above , here is my list..

Cars :

1. Maruti 800/ Zen : at a time cars were big, bulky , prone to regular tantrums, it showed us how to move the whole country in a frugal and effective manner.. Zen was the first true hot / premium hatch.. even now these 2 hold a special place..

2. Tata Safari : showed india how one could travel in style and make a statement of power. One of the mainstay politician cars and carries a special place even today..

3. Octavia VRS.. showed us what power and driving dynamics is all about.. still holds a really special place in enthusiasts hearts after all these years in new avatar..

4. Yamaha RD 350: at a time when 100 cc was the norm, this absolute power monster made bikers grin like noother. Still highly sought out by enthusiasts after ~30 yrs of launch..

5. Hero Honda CBZ / Pulsar 180 : made us believe that all 4 stroke motorcycles need not be boring and they could be lifestyle vehicles..Though Hero Honda screwed up the CBZ brand, Pulsar continues to pull heart strings in new avatars..

[rkeelar]

Standard Herald definitely needs a mention here. It was a cult car favoured by the hip crowd, sometimes modded with loud pipes...featured in many Bollywood movies. And in Karnataka, it was made famous by Dr Raj Kumar in his bond style movie.
Incidentally it was my first car bought second hand in the 80s - it was fun to drive, an eye catcher with its sleek lines but had was also a bundle of misery..... unstoppable rattling, tyre wear, axle nut coming off etc.,

[jailbird_fynix]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

This is no different to several recent threads where a subjective question is asked and the list of answers invariably includes just about every car under the sun.

Lists are fun. But guys, please don't do this. I feel like a guilty Dr. Frankenstein going through this thread.

"Speak for yourself. This list was doomed to fail when OP nominated Polo GTI as a cult car. Seriously, what a deuce!"

Please note that the GTI and the Abarth were chosen initially as cars of this decade that could probably be a cult car in the distant future and not as currently accepted cult cars of India (they're still not the best choices, I know ). Thank you for understanding.

[anjan_73]

Mod Note : Please do NOT post messages that add little or no informational value to the thread. We need your co-operation to maintain the quality of this forum. We advise you to read the Forum Rules before proceeding any further. Request to post ONLY when you have something substantial to add to a discussion.

[anjan_73]

Originally Posted by Jakku

So, here goes my votes.
Tata Safari - CULT CAR
RE Bullet - CULT BIKE
Kinetic Honda - CULT SCOOTER

You missed Hero Puch - Fill it, Shut it and Forget it!!!!