Imagine this. An elderly car hopped up on an engine transplant being redlined through the first four gears, and well into triple-digit speeds the prop shaft decides it's had enough, enters the cabin by breaking through the floor, and impales the seat to culminate its protest. And all this while, the car becomes a runaway pendulum, and only luck ensures that it comes to rest on the road's left shoulder without any harm done to itself or its occupants. That's exactly what happened to this car a couple of years ago, and instead of turning into a cautionary tale, I was intrigued by it. That was because only moments before the cataclysmic failure, it had comfortably outgunned a brand-new Kia Seltos that did its best to chase the old car. Now you get why this is no normal Premier Padmini/Fiat 1100 D, right?
This transformation is roughly equivalent to your grandmother becoming a cage fighter, and it comes from the mind of my friend, Karan Lokhande, who's usually found running Motomatic R&D in Bangalore where he restores old motorcycles and scooters. The Fiat is the first car he ever bought, shortly after I first met him. Intended as a normal restoration job to make the car a daily driver, I suppose it wasn't long before visions of an engine transplant began to haunt Karan's restless mind. And with the help of some well-meaning friends, he got his hands on a recently rebuilt rally-spec 1.6-litre engine from the old Maruti Suzuki Baleno. With friends like these...
Denne historien er fra November 2023-utgaven av Motoring World.
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Denne historien er fra November 2023-utgaven av Motoring World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
ELECTRIC VANILLA
It has everything that makes a regular EV, but does it stand out amongst everything out there?
HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE!
Just about everything you want in a rider-friendly dirtbike, now in a street-legal avatar!
THREE'S A CROWD?
The third 125cc bike in the Pulsar lineup the N125 will disagree
CARNIVAL CRUISE
The Carnival is back in town, and it's looking to make a statement. Let's see if the higher price tag brings added value and luxur
CLASSICAL ROMANCE
Much more of the same cannot be a bad thing... right? Right?
ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS
The new E-Class betters what it's always been good at being an office on wheels
MPV OR MVP?
An electric rival to the Innova? Or does it redefine the segment?
PAW PATROL
Experience the charm of open-air cruising with the sleek new Mercedes-Benz CLE
SLIDE WHIPS
Want to burn rubber and make doughnuts? Here's the recipe!
AN ORANGE SURPRISE
This Basanti will dance, jump, and sing through a titanium exhaust, just for you