[ChiragM]

India is home to some really good, rare and exotic cars. Some of these cars are popular and well-known in the automotive circles but enthusiasts had no idea that these cars are there in India.

Here's a list of cars that you know about but didn't know that they were in the country.

Citroen DS

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The popular DS was the first production car to get disc brakes and also had hydropneumatic suspension. It was also used as the official car for the French President. In 1962, President Charles de Gaulle survived an assassination attempt thanks to the performance of the DS. The car pictured here is a 1971 DS21 Pallas in Hyderabad. The Pallas is a more luxurious version of the car.

Aston Martin DB6

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The DB6 looks similar to the popular DB5, which was used in James Bond movies. Over its predecessor, it featured design changes which improved aerodynamics. This car was seen in Chennai.

Honda NSX

The first-generation of the legendary sports car was developed by none other than F1 legend Ayrton Senna himself. There are just 3 of these cars in India.

Mazda RX7 FD

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The third generation of the RX7 is extremely popular and even featured in the Fast and Furious movie series. The car was once touted as the purest, most exhilarating sports car in the world. Even today, it is regarded as one of the finest handling and the best balanced cars of all time.

Ford Escort RS Cosworth

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This is a rally version homologation special of the fifth generation European Ford Escort and came with a whale-tail rear spoiler. The road-going car came in three variants - Standard, Motorsport, and Luxury. The 2.0L engine produced around 224 BHP, but tuners have been able to extract more than 1,000 bhp from the engine. Cosworth came to India and opened a facility in Pune, which has now been shut down.

Dodge Viper RT/10

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Said to be India's only Dodge Viper RT/10, this car started off in a shade of black in Mumbai, where it shared a garage with a Diablo VT. A few years later, the 8.4L n/a beast changed owners, got a new paint job and moved to Gujarat to be part of another fantastic and diverse collection.

Honda Civic EG6

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This variant of the fifth-generation of the Civic was only available as a 3-door hatchback. It gained cult status thanks to various digital appearances including Gran Turismo 4. 160+ BHP from a car weighing just over a ton made it the fastest Civic of the time (Type-R of its days). Its popular with tuners as well.

Honda DC5 Integra Type R

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Although it lived its life under the shadow of the much-loved DC2, the DC5 is said to be the fastest production front-wheel drive car money could buy when it was launched in 2001. The 2.0L engine produced around 220 BHP and the car could hit 241 km/h. The DC5 was the last Integra Type-R to be built.

Mazda RX8

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This popular car used a 1.3L Rotary Wankel engine just like its predecessors. The car was launched in 2003 and by 2006 it had won 37 international motoring awards including 2003 International Engine of the Year. Production of the car and the rotary engine ended in 2012. The engine has a record of being highly unreliable. Just like a Rolls-Royce, the RX8 got suicide doors. There are a few units of this car in the country.

Dodge Charger R/T

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The Charger R/T was made famous by the Fast and Furious movie series. This car seen in the above picture is said to be a SE (special edition). It comes with a 440 Magnum big block V8, R/T suspension, and dual exhausts. The special edition added some luxury features.

Ford Focus RS

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This hot hatch, which calls Mumbai its home, comes with a 2.5L engine producing more than 300 BHP. The front-wheel drive car came with a LSD to reduce torque steer. At time of launch, Ford claimed that this is the closest you would get to driving a full-spec rally car.

BMW 8 Series

A rare, much sought-after BMW. There are only 3 units of the first-gen 8 Series in India, and one of which was spotted abandoned. It came with a choice of a V8 or V12 engine.

Ferrari 308 GTS

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It is said that this is where the modern Ferrari Berlinetta bloodline truly begins. Launched in 1975, the V8-powered 308 replaced the V6-powered Dino and preceded cars like the F355, F430, 458 and 488. The GTS moniker refers to the targa top.

BMW E21 3 Series

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The E21 was the first-generation of the 3 Series. Some models got twin headlights while some got single headlights (E21s of both types can be found in the country). According to the London Design Museum, the E21 is one of "fifty cars that changed the world".

Honda S2000

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The S2000 is a popular 2-door front-engined RWD roadster built between 1999 and 2009. The car's popularity increased after it was used in the first Fast and Furious movie and is used by tuners the world over. It came with a naturally aspirated 2-litre engine that revved to 9,000 rpm and had an incredible specific output of 123 BHP/L. Gautam Singhania has one.

BMW E86 Z4 M

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The first generation of the Z4 came as a roadster (E85) and a coupe (E86). The Z4 M came with a straight-six engine shared with the E46 M3. This is the only E86 Z4 M in the country and can be found in Pune.

Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

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This muscle car is pretty popular in Hollywood and has been used in various movies. The spec of the car seen here is similar to the car used in the movie 'Smokey and the Bandit'. MS Dhoni recently bought a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.

BMW Isetta

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One of the smallest cars in the world. The Italian designed Isetta was the top-selling single-cylinder car in the world, and became the world's first mass-production car to achieve a fuel consumption of 33.33 km/l. The micro car is also called the bubble car. The one pictured here can be found in the Jai Vilas Palace in Gwalior.

Datsun 240Z

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This is the first generation of the Z cars. Built to take on European sports cars, it turned out to be one of the most successful sports car lines ever produced. Dealers had long waiting lists for the Z.

Chrysler Crossfire

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This American sports car was based on the first-gen Mercedes-Benz SLK and was built by Karmann in Germany. Sales were slow and the model was eventually discontinued. This particular car was seen in Hyderabad recently.

Polaris Slingshot

The 3-wheeled sports car has no roof, doors or side windows. In the US, the driver and passenger are required to wear motorcycle helmets. This one belongs to the Poonawalla collection.

Corvette Stingray

Corvettes themselves are rare in India, let alone a classic one. This is a 1978 C3 Stingray. It even came up for sale recently. This car gets a 5.0-litre V8 and an automatic transmission. Even the C1 and C2 Corvettes can be found in the country.

Smart Roadster

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This RWD, mid-engined lightweight sub-4m sports car is powered by a turbocharged 700cc 3-cylinder engine paired to an AMT. Production of this car lasted only 2 years.

Holden Commodore

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The Commodore is a popular muscle car from Australia. The SV6 is a mid-level variant and came with a body kit and sports suspension taken from the V8-powered SS variant.

Nissan Skyline R31

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This R31 was seen rusting in Hyderabad. The R31 was the first Skyline to be equipped with the new RB-series of engines. This particular car is said to be one of the base variants sold in the African market.

[ChiragM]

Citroen 2CV

Launched in 1948, this little car was developed in the '30s in France to motorise farmers who used horses and carts, and is one of the best-selling cars ever. It was in production till 1990 and more than 3.8 million cars were made.

Alfa Romeo 4C

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The 4C is a mid-engined sports car from the Italian marquee. To keep weight down, even the boot is sealed. The car weighs just 895 kg. This is the only 4C in India.

Lotus Evora

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This Lotus shares its garage with the 4C. Launched in 2010, it is based on the first all-new vehicle platform from Lotus since 1995. It is powered by a Toyota sourced V6 engine.

Cadillac Limousine

Limos are rare in India as they are cumbersome to use in our narrow streets. Nice to see this one. It was seen gathering dust in Trivandrum and now sits in the Gedee Car Museum, Coimbatore.

Subaru Impreza WRX STi

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The Impreza became popular globally among car enthusiasts thanks to its rallying heritage. There are a handful of these cars in India and are pretty hard to find (including a Spec-C Type RA-R - only 300 were made and only sold in the Japanese Domestic Market).

Datsun 280ZX

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This one was the second generation of the Z cars. This was the first time the "by Nissan" subscript was badged alongside the Datsun logo. This once was seen in Indore.

Lamborghini Jalpa

The Jalpa was an entry-level sports car built in the '80s. It was the last Lamborghini to use a V8 engine until the Urus. This is the only Jalpa in India and resides in Delhi.

Lotus Espirit

Just 3 of these British sports cars are present in India, and one of them was seen abandoned. The Espirit was used as a submarine in a James Bond movie.

Ford F150 Black Ops

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The F150 is one of the best-selling vehicles in the world. The Black Ops edition comes with six-inch lift and 20-inch Black Ops exclusive wheels and is powered by a 5.0L V8 engine.

Morgan Aero

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The Aero comes with a BMW-sourced V8 engine. Read about the unique way Morgan hand builds all their cars, including the Aero, here. This Morgan shares its garage with the F150, 4C and the Evora featured in this thread.

Lotus Elise

The Elise is powered by a 1.8-litre 4-cylinder Toyota engine. Power steering was not offered and most variants did not even come with airbags to keep the weight low. Thanks to the 860 kg kerb weight, its power to weight ratio made it a respectable competitor at the few drag races it showed up to, despite it being a car made for the twisties. Popular cars like the Tesla Roadster and the Hennessey Venom GT are based on the Elise. While the car pictured here is a Series 2, a Series 1 is also there in the country.

Ford Fiesta XR2 MK2

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The XR2 was one of the most powerful variants of the second-gen Fiesta. It is equivalent to today's ST variants and came equipped with a 1.6-litre engine.

Ferrari 512M Testarossa

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The 512M was the last Testarossa and 501 cars were built. It came with a flat-12 engine. Testarossa means 'red head' in Italian. It calls Delhi its home and can be found in a prominent hotel.

Porsche 928 GT

The 928 GT is a luxury grand tourer. It is Porsche's first production V8 powered model and was intended to replace the 911. The car was featured in Top Gear's infamous trip to Argentina.

Nissan Silvia

Popular amongst the drifting community and tuners, this Silvia is owned by Gautam Singhania. It is the S15 Silvia, the last generation of the Silvia, and comes with an RB26 engine producing around 530 BHP.

Mazda RX7 FB

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The FB is the first-generation of the sports car. Just like other Mazda sports cars of the time, this came with a Wankel rotary engine. More than 8 lakh cars were manufactured over its lifetime.

Renault Twizy

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The Twizy is a small city car with an electric motor producing 17 BHP and 57 Nm. It has a top speed of 80 km/h. Even the doors are optional. Interestingly, this car belongs to the Consulate General Of The United Arab Emirates. Read our short drive of the Twizzy here.

[Aditya]

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

[88_TANK_88]

The Ford Escort has a TRD sticker on the spoiler

[BANDHAV]

I am not sure this qualifies but there is no doubt about its rareness, Carver One.

Picture courtsey: Bhpian liv2driv

[TrackDay]

Oh boy ! Such gems. It's like being to a really good buffet with so many good dishes. No clue which one to pick (as if the owner is going to part with it and I have the money )

My personal picks would be the
1. Aston Martin DB6 (my Fav)
2. Honda NSX
3. Mazda RX7
4. Dodge Charger R/T
5. Ford Focus RS
6. BMW 8 Series
9. Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
10. Subaru Impreza WRX
11. Lotus Espirit Nissan Silvia
12. Ford F150 Black Ops

(I tried keeping it under ten, but couldn't) Would be nice to see these with one of the famous garage here in Kerala who keeps old gems !

[Cessna182]

The Citroen DS is such a brilliant car. I keep reading about it and am more mesmerized each time. Wish there was an affordable way of experiencing one of these in India.

[Jeroen]

Thanks for sharing. Nice to see so many rare cars in India.

On your first image, Aston Martin DB6, clearly visible also an original Mini. I can’t quite tell which version. it doesn’t have the exterior hinges, so it is probably a late 80s-90s car.

Still, also rare in India I would imagine?

Jeroen

[DicKy]

Lovely thread.

Hats off to the owners, especially those of the license raj era.

1. To purchase them in the first place.
2. To keep them running till the present day.

Also hats offs to the tasteful owners of the cars that are clearly enthusiast oriented and not just status symbols.
Especially the smaller Fords.

Though to be frank, the only one that really surprised me was the first one.
The Citroen DS
The Cadillac Deville limousine of UST global, thought it would be RIP or taken out of India. Imagine my surprise, seeing it take the place of pride in the GeeDee museum.
Number of post WWII bubble cars too there.

Also the Holden Commodore. Guess most of them are Embassy ones sold outside.

One doubt A few years ago (guess 10 years) one of the requirements for a car to be imported in India was it to have an engine size above 3500cc. And price should be above xxxx $
Is it still there?

Asked cause there isn't much off sportscar /sporty cars in the affordable segment being imported.
Hot hatchbacks, Miatas, 86...

Is it because they can't be imported privately?

Or people who erstwhile imported sportscars, now found it more convenient to buy one from the officially present premium brands?

[SnS_12]

I had the pleasure of going for a midnight spin in a RX8 many moons back, which started off with an unfortunate event when my friend had to brake hard and the Swift Dzire tailing us couldn't stop in time and ended up rear ending us

Luckily there was only a dent in the rear bumper and the taillight was not damaged.

But leaving that incident aside it was a memorable drive and the rear seat was one of the best seats I have sat in minus the legroom. Also, another highlight of the interior was the center console running all the way till the back and overall cozy feeling once inside with the doors shut.

[Abhi5868]

Here's a supercharged Chevrolet Chevelle SS belonging to a royal family. I believe it was highly overshadowed by it's own sibling, the legendary Camaro. The 3rd generation Chevelle was extensively used in NASCAR.




Credits-Carcrazy.India Instagram

[OctYFAN]

I saw a baby blue today near Pollachi. Looked very cute and had custom wheels. The color.... It looked something like this. Though it wasn't a convertible.

There is also an imported Mazda NA Miata in India. I saw it for sale somewhere and no other records of it. Had a Mumbai registration.

[tushky]

I dont have a actual photo but there are 2 Fiat Bravo cars in Pune. Maybe used by the Fiat management.

[sleeperwagon]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Thanks for sharing. Nice to see so many rare cars in India.

On your first image, Aston Martin DB6, clearly visible also an original Mini. I can’t quite tell which version. it doesn’t have the exterior hinges, so it is probably a late 80s-90s car.

Still, also rare in India I would imagine?

Jeroen

That's a 1969 Mini 1000 actually. As for the hinges, they disappeared from '69 onwards when the Mark 3 was launched

[//M]

Originally Posted by tushky

I dont have a actual photo but there are 2 Fiat Bravo cars in Pune. Maybe used by the Fiat management.

Couple of pictures I clicked of the blue Fiat Bravo back in 2017 - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ml#post4198269 (Supercars & Imports : Pune)