[MileCruncher]

Just came across this video on the Himalayan Rally thread and I foresee the THAR ( like the MM540 in the video) to give Gypsy's a tough fight in the Raid

YouTube - Xtreme Himalayan Motorsport .mpg

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

...this video on the Himalayan Rally thread...

Weren't these the Mitsubishi 2.5L petrol-powered MM540s? I believe they were great Gypsy-eaters... Wonder why this engine was never offered to the market, during a period when FE and ARAI were just jumbled letters of the alphabet. I wanted one...

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Anirudh / SS Traveller - thank you for the wonderful you tube video. That MM540 you see there is BLD4769, competition number 1, belonging to M&M, driven by Farad Bhathena and navigated by Raj Bagri in the first Great Desert Himalayan Raid. This car was extremely fast and they won the raid outright by a very large margin. There were 2 other MM540s also but they were fitted with the F4/134 petrol engines, whereas BLD4769 was fitted with the Mitsubishi 4G54 102 BHP petrol engine with the Mitsubishi transmission and the T18 transfer case. The cars were rally prepared in Nazir Hoosein's garage in South Mumbai. The fuel tank was mounted in the body on the left hand side below the roll over bar. The wheel rims were from the Gypsy. The tyres were MRF P215/75R15. The axle ratio was 4.88:1 for the Mitsubishi and 5.38:1 for the F4/134. The colour of all the 3 cars was Sahara Dust. I remember everything as if it happened yesterday.

A little nostalgia - the sad part was that the last time I saw BLD4769, it was lying completely rusted in one of the garages in Mumbai. I cried a little within my mind, said a prayer, then determined to myself that when the time came, I would do something about it and then slowly moved away. Then I kept quiet for years, till the Scorpio got launched. The rest you all know now.

Well, back to the exciting present - Today's Himalayan Raid? Of course the Thar is the ideal vehicle. I knew it all along. Many of you also know it. Many of you must be thinking about taking it to the raid. I would love to take part even today and would certainly try and win the prize for setting the fastest times in all the special stages. Wow!

Now - the time has come. The Thar shall finally fulfil my dream of seeing my favourite MM540 platform back to its glorious place where it rightfully belongs.

This platform belongs at the very top of the 4 wheel drive world and it also belongs at the very top of the adventure motorsports world in our country.

Then, maybe one day, all over the world. What more can I ask for?

SO GUYS, SUCH IS THE GLORIOUS LINEAGE OF THE THAR. NOW, WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR?

Please accept my best personal regards,

Behram Dhabhar

MAHINDRA THAR - "GO ANYWHERE"

[salilpawar1]

This will make great material for sales brochure/ads, seriously! Vinod Sir, are you listening?

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Anirudh / SS Traveller - thank you for the wonderful you tube video. That MM540 you see there is BLD4769, competition number 1, belonging to M&M, driven by Farad Bhathena and navigated by Raj Bagri in the first Great Desert Himalayan Raid. This car was extremely fast and they won the raid outright by a very large margin. There were 2 other MM540s also but they were fitted with the F4/134 petrol engines, whereas BLD4769 was fitted with the Mitsubishi 4G54 102 BHP petrol engine with the Mitsubishi transmission and the T18 transfer case. The cars were rally prepared in Nazir Hoosein's garage in South Mumbai. The fuel tank was mounted in the body on the left hand side below the roll over bar. The wheel rims were from the Gypsy. The tyres were MRF P215/75R15. The axle ratio was 4.88:1 for the Mitsubishi and 5.38:1 for the F4/134. The colour of all the 3 cars was Sahara Dust. I remember everything as if it happened yesterday.

A little nostalgia - the sad part was that the last time I saw BLD4769, it was lying completely rusted in one of the garages in Mumbai. I cried a little within my mind, said a prayer, then determined to myself that when the time came, I would do something about it and then slowly moved away. Then I kept quiet for years, till the Scorpio got launched. The rest you all know now.

Well, back to the exciting present - Today's Himalayan Raid? Of course the Thar is the ideal vehicle. I knew it all along. Many of you also know it. Many of you must be thinking about taking it to the raid. I would love to take part even today and would certainly try and win the prize for setting the fastest times in all the special stages. Wow!

Now - the time has come. The Thar shall finally fulfil my dream of seeing my favourite MM540 platform back to its glorious place where it rightfully belongs.

This platform belongs at the very top of the 4 wheel drive world and it also belongs at the very top of the adventure motorsports world in our country.

Then, maybe one day, all over the world. What more can I ask for?

SO GUYS, SUCH IS THE GLORIOUS LINEAGE OF THE THAR. NOW, WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR?

Please accept my best personal regards,

Behram Dhabhar

MAHINDRA THAR - "GO ANYWHERE"

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Anirudh / SS Traveller - thank you for the wonderful you tube video. That MM540 you see there is BLD4769, competition number 1, belonging to M&M, driven by Farad Bhathena and navigated by Raj Bagri in the first Great Desert Himalayan Raid. This car was extremely fast and they won the raid outright by a very large margin. There were 2 other MM540s also but they were fitted with the F4/134 petrol engines, whereas BLD4769 was fitted with the Mitsubishi 4G54 102 BHP petrol engine with the Mitsubishi transmission and the T18 transfer case. The cars were rally prepared in Nazir Hoosein's garage in South Mumbai. The fuel tank was mounted in the body on the left hand side below the roll over bar. The wheel rims were from the Gypsy. The tyres were MRF P215/75R15. The axle ratio was 4.88:1 for the Mitsubishi and 5.38:1 for the F4/134. The colour of all the 3 cars was Sahara Dust. I remember everything as if it happened yesterday.

Behram Saab, I can't tell you how many times since evening I have seen that video today. Even though there is no rally audio, the thing that really got me hooked was the unassuming way the MM540 went about its business, unlike today's raid vehicles, which are too much of show (IMHO).

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Well, back to the exciting present - Today's Himalayan Raid? Of course the Thar is the ideal vehicle. I knew it all along. Many of you also know it. Many of you must be thinking about taking it to the raid. I would love to take part even today and would certainly try and win the prize for setting the fastest times in all the special stages. Wow!

I always had a dream of competing in the Raid and hopefully in a year or two intend to do so.

Bring on the THAR !

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Anirudh / SS Traveller - thank you for the wonderful you tube video. That MM540 you see there is BLD4769, competition number 1, belonging to M&M, driven by Farad Bhathena and navigated by Raj Bagri in the first Great Desert Himalayan Raid.

Please accept my best personal regards,

Behram Dhabhar

MAHINDRA THAR - "GO ANYWHERE"

Behramji,

It was great bit of nostalgia coming from you. As a potential Thar customer (as and when a Hardtop a/c version - like the Toyota FJ type is available ex factory!!!) I hope it lives up to the spirit.

Without taking away anything from the value of your post I think there is a little mix-up in your post. If 4769 is the one featured in the start of the video then it had competetion # 2 than # 1. See the attached video garb.

In the video there were two MM 540s. The second one was Comp # 3 - see the video grab attached. (you can see the drivers as they got out to look under the hood) and the driver of # 3, definitely was not Farad.

If Farad was driving # 1 with Raj then who were driving # 2 & 3 respectively

Hope you can fill this in for us and thanks for your inputs in the forum

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

[Blue Thunder]

just heard on the 'breaking news' channel that the Thar ended up with SFRA instead of FFRA due to the following reason : frictional losses due to additional bearings in FFRA. I find this . Wow ! I mean...WOW !!! Is this true ?

[tsk1979]

Which breaking news channel are you talking about

[MaveRick4x4]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Just came across this video on the Himalayan Rally thread and I foresee the THAR ( like the MM540 in the video) to give Gypsy's a tough fight in the Raid

I am getting nostalgic feelings and memories about yester years.


Bring the THAR - hope it is not that too far.

Awesome Video MileCruncher!
I love that stretch wherein the dust is kicked up as if it were a STORM
It was gliding on the rubble road, better than the "tuff old goat" aka Gypsy.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Just came across this video on the Himalayan Rally thread and I foresee the THAR ( like the MM540 in the video) to give Gypsy's a tough fight in the Raid

YouTube - Xtreme Himalayan Motorsport .mpg

I was quite taken by the lyrics of the background and located it to Band of Horses -Funeral. Here is the lyrics and you'll how apt it is for a things like Xtreme rallying were death ( both for men and vehicle) looms at every corner

Lyrics to Funeral :
I'm coming up only to hold you under
I'm coming up only to show you wrong
And to know you is hard and we wonder
To know you all wrong, we were

Really too late to call, so we wait for
Morning to wake you; it's all we got
To know me as hardly golden
Is to know me all wrong, they were

At every occasion I'll be ready for a funeral
At every occasion once more is called a funeral
Every occasion I'm ready for the funeral
At every occasion one brilliant day funeral

I'm coming up only to show you down for
I'm coming up only to show you wrong
To the outside, the dead leaves, they all blow (alive is very poetic)
For'e (before) they died had trees to hang their hope

At every occasion I'll be ready for the funeral
At every occasion once more is called the funeral
At every occasion I'm ready for the funeral
At every occasion one brilliant day funeral

Taken from Band Of Horses - Funeral Lyrics

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear nairtvm - First of all I have not seen the full video of car no 1 as it runs intermittently on my laptop. The picture moves for around 3 seconds and then stops. Also, the resolution was very poor. After your comment on the regiatration number BLD4769 being car no 2, I racked my memory to remember whether I had inverted the registration numbers of cars 1 and 2. I have no photographs, nothing except my memory to go with. After a lot of brain racking, I think I have got the registration number of car no 1. I think it is BLD4776. Then car no 2 can be BLD4769. I do not know the registration number of car no 3. I have been able to remember the registration number of car no 1 as its photograph was hanging in our office for some time. I also remember that the front number plate was not there, the number was painted on the chassis bumper. The other drivers were Sunil Shanbhag and Nachi Patel. The third pair of drivers were from South India, if I am correct but I am not too sure.

Now, please see the videos and tell me if BLD4776 is correct. I cannot open the videos here.

Dear Tanveer / Blue Thunder - some news channel that I say! . Was it aaj tak, kal tak or parson tak? Well, I hope you may have read my post on flowers blooming, the air being pure in the last page. I would rather drive with you from Chandigarh to Leh and back any number of times, instead I get a job to compulsorily ensure that "flowers can bloom" et al. Get the drift? Do I have the luxury? What yaar! Have a heart man! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Now, please see the videos and tell me if BLD4776 is correct. I cannot open the videos here.

Behram Dhabhar

Behramji,

Thanks for your clarifications

Car #2 is 4769. The Number Plate of Car # 3 is not visible from the video.

Will ask around my friends in South to find out who the drivers were in 1988 Himalyan, in Mahindra Team

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

[chaunfa]

"where have all the flowers gone,
gone to the soldiers everyone,
when will they ever learn,
when will they ever learn..."

So how many months are we closer to a thousand flowers blooming , it is the best season to sow after all.


Chaunfa

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear all - Pure air to breathe is good for all, isn't it? OK, the air shall remain pure. The trees shall grow by a huge margin. The flowers shall bloom in all their finery, even in all major cities. . You will love these photographs.

Samajhnewalon ko ishara kaafi hota hai. The slog overs are very slowy but surely delivering the desired results. .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Very interesting...looks like the last leg is over, the summit's back is broken. Now on it all about getting down to the base camp from the summit breathing the freshest air possible

Historic moment in the Indian automotive scene... Together we have created a segment for true "Sports Utility Vehicles", haven't we?

With Kudos, we would like to hear more from you Behram Sir...

@Chaunfa: Good question mate =)

@MileCruncher: You managed to bring a tear to my eye with that video.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear all - slog overs completion inching ever so slowly but surely forward. By the way, when something zooms by your window @ 140 kmph, you will just hear a "woosh". Ear surgeons will be out of business. Get the drift dudes? . Woosh, that's all.

Dear Wolf - yes, I believe that the Thar will ultimately create its own segment which will have a critical mass market attached to it. You can indulge in "Sports" of rally raiding / off roading, you have the "Utility" of driving it to cruise anywhere at continuous 3 digit speeds without your backside getting knocked off and it is a "Vehicle". Thank you. I will always cherish your wonderful comments. .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar