[--gKrish--]

Whenever I see Maruti 1000s/Esteem, it usually brings the pictures of our Esteem to my mind.

But the one in this thread just took me back in time to the day we got our Esteem home. The scenes of my mother trying to get an excited yet iron willed 5 year old me off the car and back inside the house to have lunch, flashed infront of me. Heck! The new car smell is lingering in my room now.

Kudos to all the owners who have kept the cars so well.

[TangoSierra]

For once, time stood still, on seeing these beauties. A kind gesture of the showroom people to have solely displayed these classic cars for a day.

How nostalgic it would have been, to walk into the showroom to find the SS80, The Van and The Gypsy, instead of the Swift and Dzire. With old advertisements being played on TVs and period pictures/brochures displayed, this is how purchasing a car in the 80s would have looked like. These are timeless beauties, which, IMO, re-defined the 4 wheeler scenario in our country, which was then dominated by Ambys. It was Just awesome.

The Gypsy is still and will be my all-time favourite from the Maruti stable. Hoping to buy one soon.

[sandeepmohan]

Oh wow. The good old cars from the Maruti Udyog era. Cars that changed the face of motoring in India. Phase one for quality and reliable motoring. If these guys did not partner with Suzuki, I guess we would have ended up waiting another 15 years for a decent set of wheels from the Koreans.

My apartment neighbor had a white Maruti 800DX or SS80. The car that started it all and the one that literally felt like a tin can. I did not like this one so much. I remember sitting in one when I was probably 8 or 10 and could not see out the windshield. It was so low. Aside from this, I don't think this car ever stopped running for the 10 years or so I remember it. I used to look out the window to see this car leave and park in its garage every day. The cars from the other garages, which were Ambassadors and Fiat's, used to go missing every now and then (A trip to the garage).

I preferred the second generation 800. Was higher, more room and a little better equipped on the Deluxe. Factory aircon, green tinted glass, stereo on a center console that flowed down to the gearbox area. One neat car. As expected, never stopped running too. This was my first experience of hushed motoring. By this, I mean, it was actually quiet on the inside. Roll your window up, turn on the aircon and drive at about 70kmph on a good smooth road and all you could hear was a little tire noise. This car did not even have that typical 3 cylinder thrum you tend to notice more on modern 3 pot motors.

Next up was the Maruti Suzuki 1000. The first Made in India executive sedan that was truly class. It did reasonably well on the rally circuit too. Off course, it was the Esteem that spiced things up. From a lethargic 45 horses to a nice 65hp on the first Esteem and an upgrade to 85hp later on. This car was seriously quick owing to its lightness and rev friendly nature. The gearbox was a highlight too. It was on the 1000 where I first saw an aircon vent on the door and wondered how did air reach there. On closer inspection, I noticed a well executed duct coming out of the side of the dashboard and made its way through the plastic door frame. Brilliant and unique for its time. This was a high end car.

Maruti Suzuki has been a house hold name for a few decades now. A name that comes to mind first when someone is looking at buying their first car. This ain't ever going to change.

Thanks for sharing.

[ashwinprakas]

This thread got me all hyped up that I went for an early morning Joyride in my G10B Zen LX.

After driving the F10D Zen Estilo for the past few weeks I really did need this, though it took nostalgia for me to realize it.

These machines are truly a hoot to drive, even for someone whose more into motorcycles than cars.

Long Live Suzuki G Series!

[sumitsinha0280]

The 90s are back!! : is all I could utter after looking at some of the pics. Thanks for sharing.


Taking this opportunity to share some pics of my 1992 SB308 STD, which was restored early this year.

[johannskaria]

Originally Posted by GTO

Gosh, what a unique & crazy event!
I wish I'd made it. Please do let me know when this is happening next. I'll come in my "Classic" .

Amol's Maruti 1000 reminds me of my Esteem, and that shot of the dash air-vents & stereo took me back to the cabin of my car!

Love the attention-to-detail shown by the owners.

Am sending a link of this thread to Maruti. It's the only heritage they'll ever have. Maruti had better step forward & support such events in the future.

You're always welcome.

Amol's 1000 is still on its original parts!

Hopefully, Maruti steps forward and recognizes its contribution to Indian automotive history.

Maruti will need to embrace that as they fight to save their market share in India as the competition ups the ante.
The owners are mostly under 30 and a new crop of classic car enthusiasts which altogether amazed me.

Infact these are the most affordable classic cars as of now.

Originally Posted by Nohonking

It let me fill with nostalgia.

I wish I could be one of those to attend and drive down in my second gen Feb '87 Maruti 800, if at all I was still owning it. I have my childhood memories associated with it and none other car can ever take its place ever no matter how advanced it be.

It's for the nostalgic reason that i still kepp around my 800.
Sad to see yours go :(

Originally Posted by DicKy

Especially the showroom setting was so cool.
For a change, the Omni is being treated with nostalgia and respect, instead of the usual vitriol.

Really hope the authorities come up with a rolling year criteria for old cars to be classified as classic/vintage/youngtimer

The van has been with the same family since 1985, the year it was bought.
And the owner bringing down from Nasik just for the event made it even more special.

I hope the government recognises the rich automotive history and the emotional connect we have and make such appropriate catageory.

Originally Posted by Aditya

A very good job by the organisers and nice of the Bafnas to convert their showroom to a "classic car" display for the day.

It's great to see so many of these older Maruti cars together. Good to see enthusiasts still taking care of these old girls (van included).

Mr Chinmay was kind enough to let us park our classics inside the showroom for the day. It made it extra special.

Infact this was the most connected showroom visits of my life.
Have never felt an emotional connection with a brand like this.

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Awesome event organisation, loved it.

Hopefully Leo you can join us the next time with the golden beauty

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Classic & Maruti were not considered to belong in the same sentence until recently, looking at some of these examples - They sure are classic cars, at least three of them.

Good to see Omni being added to the classic cars list, 6 months back I was looking for an SS80 and boy they were very expensive in comparison to a M800s of the 2000s.
So it was apparent that someone is buying them for a high price.

As they catch them young!
These machines are still relevant as well as usable even daily.
The Japanese traits makes them such unique collectibles.

Originally Posted by sameerpb

Just Yesterday I drove Maruti 800 MPFI with 5 speed gearbox of my uncle. Initially I suggested him to upgrade to automatic Maruti celerio or i10.

Trust me, if you put a free flow exhaust on that 5 speed you would never ever sell it.

Originally Posted by silverado

Just wish we get to see that High-Roof version some day in such events.
I

We tried getting a high roof omni for the event, but just couldn't find someone who owns it.

Originally Posted by Samba

The sky blue Maruti Omni and the Maruti 1000 will be my pick from the lot. The old Zen's and the M800's look awesomely maintained too. Hats off to the respective owners.

The Maruti 1000 was unused for a really long time, had a refuel and a basic clean up and the car drove without a fault to the event from Pune.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by johannskaria

Hopefully Leo you can join us the next time with the golden beauty

Would love to. Its well within her reach too.



Regards,
Shashi

[yogeshsom29]

Wow, all beauties together & how. Looks like an lifetime achievement award ceremony event where you see so many of yesteryear beauties raring to go on stage to collect the honors.

1997 800 DX was my first car & it rode like only she can in those days.

Had so many amazing experiences & there are stories of so many firsts with her; nostalgic

[johannskaria]

Originally Posted by TangoSierra

For once, time stood still, on seeing these beauties. A kind gesture of the showroom people to have solely displayed these classic cars for a day.

The showroom looked just like a time capsule and everyone who participated in it was surprised and truly speechless

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

If these guys did not partner with Suzuki, I guess we would have ended up waiting another 15 years for a decent set of wheels from the Koreans.

The Koreans weren't upto mark then.
The only other considerations people at the helm of Maruti had was between Renault and Volkswagen.

We would've had a different story to tell about them as well as about the Indian automotive market if Maruti management had gone ahead with those choices.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

This thread got me all hyped up that I went for an early morning Joyride in my G10B Zen LX.

These machines are truly a hoot to drive, even for someone whose more into motorcycles than cars.

Glad to know enthusiasts still drive around and enjoy these beautiful Japanese machines.

Originally Posted by sumitsinha0280

The 90s are back!! : is all I could utter after looking at some of the pics.

Oh yes it is.
But this time they are the new historic torchbearers.

[srinand]

Hi,

Wow, lovely event and some very nice cars. Thank you for sharing! I would like to share my car which I am lucky to have gotten from the first owned family after 33 years of ownership, but driven only 57000 Kms. It's a DX model with all the optional extras that were available at the time!

Thank you,

Srinand.

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by srinand

Hi,

Wow, lovely event and some very nice cars. Thank you for sharing! I would like to share my car which I am lucky to have gotten from the first owned family after 33 years of ownership, but driven only 57000 Kms. It's a DX model with all the optional extras that were available at the time!

Thank you,

Srinand.

Nice survivor car. Good buy.Hope you didn't pay a kings ransom for it!!
By the way, I didn't understand what the 'optional extras' you are mentioning. The deluxe model came fully loaded at that time and hence was priced almost double the standard model.

[srinand]

Originally Posted by ajay99

Nice survivor car. Good buy.Hope you didn't pay a kings ransom for it!!
By the way, I didn't understand what the 'optional extras' you are mentioning. The deluxe model came fully loaded at that time and hence was priced almost double the standard model.

Thank you! I thought the leather seat covers and radio/tape player were options?

Regards,

Srinand.

[BeemerBug_06]

Originally Posted by sumitsinha0280

The 90s are back!! : is all I could utter after looking at some of the pics. Thanks for sharing.

Hello @sumitsinha0280 that's a really beautiful SB308 you've got there! Cairo Dust coloured 800s are very rare now. It would be great if you can join us with the car in Mumbai for the next meet!

[BeemerBug_06]

The Classic Maruti Day was a unique and fun event! 16th December 2018, will surely be a day I will not forget. It was a very humbling and nice experience. It was great to see the participant's passion for their Maruti cars such that a participant even drove down from Mysore for the event! Besides all the generations of the Maruti 800 being there, there was also every type of the original Maruti Zen! Being a Zen fan, this really excited me, this excludes the Estilo of course, as the participating cars were restricted till 2005 model Classic Marutis only.

The Zen Trio!


This is a 1995 Maruti Zen MH410. This is possibly one of the most original Zens left in Mumbai right now and it is in pristine condition. This has a Carburetor powered engine too as it was manufactured before the MPFi era began. Check out it's clean interiors!

[ATTACH=DSC_7607.JPG]



This is a 2003 Zen LXi. This is the last of the original jellybean shaped Zens! By 2003, the Zens were already running MPFi as opposed to the Carburetor powered engine which was used in the car previously. I love the Rivera Red Shade of this Zen.


This pristine Red 2004 facelift Zen too joined us for the meet.

[Chetan_Rao]

A sight to sore eyes, those jellybeans!

We owned a 2003 LX MPFi in Pearl Silver. The most fun I've ever had driving was in that little pocket rocket.