Re: The Premier 118 NE thread Quote:
Originally Posted by KkVaidya Behrambhai: I have an offer for you. Can you take my 118NE for sometime and return back converted to the MZM7247? I remember reading somewhere that this brown 'super' car was your pilot vehicle and you did not let anyone touch it? It used to go like a rocket up and down those ghats. The only difference should be that mine will be Swan White and will need and air conditioner to be fitted. BTW, I also want another MH01V521 convert after this is done. ![Big Grin](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.png) | Dear Vaidyaji - kya yaar! Read the history (copied and pasted from my database). ![Big Grin](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.png) and also ![LOL](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/LOL.png) .
The brown colored "super-118NE" was not MZM7247, it was MGQ8174 (brown - Himalayan Rally support car), which was one of the 5 cars capitalized in January 1987 for conducting ARAI fuel efficiency test in lieu of impending emission norms of 1991, 1996 and then BS1 in 2000. The norm was 17 kmpl at a constant speed of 50 kmph with 375 kg payload with 5.60*13 size bias ply tires and 22/28 psi tire pressure, this reading being the arithmetic mean of 10 readings taken out of 13 readings recorded in DOWN direction and 13 readings recorded in UP direction on the high speed track at VRDE Ahmednagar with wind velocity <3m/s, minor gusts allowed upto 8m/s, statistically within 2% (whew!). Today we have reached BS4. The other cars were MGQ8171 (red - sent to Nippondenso Japan for AC development), MGQ8173 (white - R&D performance evaluation car), MGQ8175 (white - sent to the Chairman's office as all his car registration numbers ended in "75") and MGQ8176 (white - R&D vendor parts evaluation car).
MZM7247 was one out of the first three prototypes which were manufactured in the Kalyan plant in late 1984. The other two cars were MZM7250 (medium severity endurance run car for 252 cycles as per NISSAN requirement) and MZM7256 (RWUP - real world usage pattern car as per NISSAN requirement). MZM7247 started life as a grey car, it was painted red in January 1985 for display in the India Engineering Trade Fair in Delhi, it went on the Pave track, everything got destroyed so the body was changed so it became a black car. MZM7250 was a light orange car, it ran the medium severity endurance and somehow completed 252 cycles. MZM7256 started life as a "popat green" (yes it was actually very gaudy popat green in color) car, its body was changed two times and it ran RWUP, the last I knew, it had covered 2.5 lakh kms. What is most creditable is that absolutely nothing happened to the NISSAN engine and transmission. Everything else fell apart. NISSAN acceptance criteria was 3.5 lakh kms which is considered as the life of the car under RWUP.
However, the very first prototypes were MMY4975 which was the lash-up combination of the Fiat 124 body with the NISSAN engine. MMY5219 was the combination of the Fiat 124 body with the Mazda engine, there was a yellow colored unregistered car which was the combination of the Fiat 124 body with the Fiat 131 engine and then there was MMY7212, which was a combination of the Fiat 124 body with the Padmini engine. Then there was also MMY6433, a yellow Fiat 124 LHD "Especial", with a twin overhead cam 1600cc Fiat engine and original Made in Italy Pirelli tires, my all time favorite, an absolute bomb! Finally, NISSAN was chosen.
Nobody knows, everybody criticizes, but a lot of work was done in those days. There was no CAD at that time!
Best regards,
Behram Dhabhar |