[StrangeWizard]

90s kid here and I really enjoy driving cars from the by-gone era. I have a deep attachment to the SB308 Maruti 800 because we used to own one but I am also fond of other iconic cars like the Gypsy, Esteem, Indica, OG Santro, Palio, W124. Have been lucky enough to have driven almost all of my childhood favourites.

The thing that I love about these cars is how "involving" each one of them feels. Every car of that era had a different character and driving feel and the kind of driving pleasure they offered was very different compared to the modern cars we drive today, which are fun to drive and involving too, but in a different manner.

Seen below are my Honda City and a friend's Maruti 800. Driving the red 800 was a Eureka moment for me because I spent a major part of my childhood being driven around in a red 800 of the same spec. Good times.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by ashivas89

All this being said, the Contessa still was a very special car purely because it looked cool, and was a part of a special moment in my life. It will always have a place in my heart.

I know, this car may not predate my birth in terms of its Indian SoP, the Mitsubishi it was based on predates my birth.

HM Contessa was not based on a Mitsubishi. It was based entirely on the Vauxhall VX of the 1970’s. When it came to India in 1981-1982 if I remember right, the Government used to levy tax on the engine displacement so they shoved the ancient Ambassador BMC Petrol engine into it and of course that was simply not up to the job. Then they shoved their Diesel into it and that was woefully inadequate. Luckily, in the later years the Hindustan Motors chaps forged an alliance with Isuzu of Japan, which they were licensed to build here and they used an Isuzu 1800cc Petrol and an Isuzu 2000 Diesel to power it, along with a 5 speed gearbox. Thankfully that was a far better combination for the Contessa. Even today it is considered India’s own “Muscle Car” especially when one views some of the tastefully modified ones out in KL.

That early 1980’s era was also famous for the beautiful Standard 2000 which was a Rover from England, the Rover SD1 and was originally inspired by the Ferrari Daytona. Again a lovely car ruined by a lousy Standard 10 car engine which was useless. So a lot of people simply went and shoe horned Nissan and Mazda light Truck 2000 cc Diesel engines into these cars. But then the huge irritants of power steering pumps failing and brake boosters going mad and all that, hastened the demise of these lovely cars. Had the Government been a little liberal, we could perhaps have had that lovely Rover SD1 with the big Detroit V8 in it and had some fun. But then, the Governments and Bureaucrats of those days, used to equate “Fun” with “Sin”, being outwardly Puritanical and Austere in the Extreme, for the benefit of all of us lesser mortals.

[subie_socal]

Originally Posted by govindremesh

The system in the Alto that I'm referring to is not the Anti Stall that we see in Formula 1 cars or some cars of today, where both throttle and clutch are managed by the ECU/TCU to prevent a stall

.......

It was a bit more difficult with a warm engine where the idle speed would be ~850 RPM, but not impossible if you release the clutch gently. If my memory is correct, I've managed to go upto the 3rd gear (with just myself in the car) without requiring to touch the A pedal.

Aah, gotcha. My experience with the WagonR was also more or less similar,. Though I really hated the clutches in petrol Maruti's. I always doubt if I've hit the bite point. This wasn't a problem in K series engines or even the 1.3 G13B.

I admit that learning to drive in a diesel spoilt me a bit

Originally Posted by govindremesh

Trivia: Since Alto was one of the early Marutis to have Fuel Injection, I remember that it came with a sticker on the driver side of the dashboard - "MPFI engine - please start without pressing the accelerator pedal".

I recall they continued this trend till 2008/9.

[ashivas89]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

HM Contessa was not based on a Mitsubishi. It was based entirely on the Vauxhall VX of the 1970’s. When it came to India in 1981-1982 if I remember right, the Government used to levy tax on the engine displacement so they shoved the ancient Ambassador BMC Petrol engine into it and of course that was simply not up to the job. Then they shoved their Diesel into it and that was woefully inadequate. Luckily, in the later years the Hindustan Motors chaps forged an alliance with Isuzu of Japan, which they were licensed to build here and they used an Isuzu 1800cc Petrol and an Isuzu 2000 Diesel to power it, along with a 5 speed gearbox. Thankfully that was a far better combination for the Contessa. Even today it is considered India’s own “Muscle Car” especially when one views some of the tastefully modified ones out in KL.

That early 1980’s era was also famous for the beautiful Standard 2000 which was a Rover from England, the Rover SD1 and was originally inspired by the Ferrari Daytona. Again a lovely car ruined by a lousy Standard 10 car engine which was useless. So a lot of people simply went and shoe horned Nissan and Mazda light Truck 2000 cc Diesel engines into these cars. But then the huge irritants of power steering pumps failing and brake boosters going mad and all that, hastened the demise of these lovely cars. Had the Government been a little liberal, we could perhaps have had that lovely Rover SD1 with the big Detroit V8 in it and had some fun. But then, the Governments and Bureaucrats of those days, used to equate “Fun” with “Sin”, being outwardly Puritanical and Austere in the Extreme, for the benefit of all of us lesser mortals.

Evidently, I have the cars provenance and SoP in India both wrong. Thanks for correcting me there. I haven't the foggiest where I heard that the car was based off a Mitsubishi. However I still stand by my statement that the car felt awful to drive.

[AW1972]

I'm from the early 70's. My dad used to buy used cars, keep them for a few years and go on to the next one. My earliest driving experience was on a willys. It was a very brief as I was very young. Later we had an ambassador and then a matador. We used to live in the hills in Rajasthan. All my learning and early driving experiences have been on the hills which taught me a very basic rule. No matter what, stick to your side of the road, which you can see blatantly being misused in cities, especially when you take a right turn.
I learned to drive on the matador when I was in my 10th. I am also responsible for having taught driving to quite a few of my friends. The matador we had required air to be flushed out of the fuel system every morning. There was a kind of a pump on the drivers side of the engine.

Once I remember our whole family went on a road trip from Rajasthan to Kerala in the ambassador. Since the ambassador was prone to breakdown, we took along our mechanic on the trip and sure enough the car broke down within 50 kms of starting. It was fixed and did not have any further trouble.
I learnt my two wheeler on my dad's Jawa. Still feel nostalgic about those days and those vehicles. After 1990 was kicked out of house for further studies and then job and then life caught on. Then it was only in 2003,that I had my very own first car-Alto lxi, yes with power steering. Felt like a toy after having driven bulls
Those old cars had their problems but was fun and could be driven around any way you like without a worry

[Jeroen]

Almost missed this thread! How could I!

I love old cars period! Both my 1982 Mercedes 1982 and my 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider are cars from this era.

Let's be honest. Every modern day car is going to be better than cars from this era. They will be safer, more fuel efficient, faster, more comfortable, and so on.

But driving an old car is about a very different kind of experience.

The classic car scene in Europe and the US is slowly changing. Cars such as Jaguar XK and the E type and for instance Mercedes Pagoda are beginning to drop in value. There is a shift from interest in cars from the 60s/70s to cars from the 80s/90s.

Although I never see my classic cars as an investment, it is nice to know that their vale is starting to rise!

Jeroen

[RGK]

Originally Posted by govindremesh

[b] Let's not even talk about ADAS, auto parking systems, smart summon that are making their way into today's cars.

Have driven the Ambassador during the peak summer season without thinking about the AC. Now, even for a night out, switching on the AC is the first task .

Ambassador came with two keys, one to open the doors and another for ignition. Around then, the drivers' patience must be valued, that he needs to open and sit first, to open all other doors.

Almost all other functional and technical features are now updated with automation, except for the bonnet opening and spare tyre replacement.

Today, driving old cars is a challenge, but there was a greater sense of satisfaction at that time.

[AKTransAM]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Let's be honest. Every modern day car is going to be better than cars from this era. They will be safer, more fuel efficient, faster, more comfortable, and so on.

But driving an old car is about a very different kind of experience.

The classic car scene in Europe and the US is slowly changing. Cars such as Jaguar XK and the E type and for instance Mercedes Pagoda are beginning to drop in value. There is a shift from interest in cars from the 60s/70s to cars from the 80s/90s.
Jeroen

Agreed Jeroen! A very different kind of experience. As far as the shift in interest goes, there's definitely a lot more folks out here these days interested in 80s/90s American cars, but that's primarily for 2 reasons a) because the 60s/70s vintage cars are all bought up and most of the incoming younger buyers are priced out of the market, and b) Most of the younger buyers have more nostalgia for the 80s given their relatively younger age.

That being said, yes, I'm a dinosaur, and my youngest fun car is 36 years old. I absolutely love daily driving my 1977 Trans-Am and my 1988 Trans-Am for 7 months of the year. The 88 is incredibly modern by the 77 standards (obviously), with an ECM etc. Even the engine bays look decades apart, with the 88 being so much more "cleaner", but much harder to work on, compared to the 77! But both cars (yes the 77 as well!) have power everything, disc brakes etc from the factory, and handle great. The 77 is as you might guess, however, much more raw, with a 4 barrel carburetor, a hood scoop that opens up to suck in more air as you floor the pedal, much more vibrations, engine noise (the 1977 V8 has an unmistakeable roar that you can hear for a mile, compared to the relatively silent V8 in the 1988), and exhaust and gasoline smells, and I love it. My modern 2019 Toyota truck is great, but incredibly boring as with any other modern vehicle (for me that is)!

1988


1977. Unapologetically inefficient in every respect, and still amazing!


1977 engine bay. Much simpler to work on, but obviously ancient compared to the 1988


"Modern" 1988 engine bay

[vishal21]

Reading the story brought back them lost memories of our Premier Padmini which my Grandfather owned back in the time. My dad driving and me sitting next to him on the bench, between him and my grandfather. Unfortunately, it was sold a little later while I was still too young and because we didn't need two cars.

Yes that's right. Come 2002, dad purchased his first car, our pre-worshipped 1998 Zen, and that means this is powered by the old school Carburettor and not those fancy fuel injected systems, not to forget the normal non assisted steering and mechanical windows, a parcel shelf and body coloured exteriors, and two internally adjustable ORVM's which the lower varients missed upon.

The year was 2016, I was just getting started with driving and as I was getting my formal training at a driving school, dad took me out every morning so I get to learn his ropes. He got me to connect with the car in a way no driving school could teach.
Though by then this had become a secondary car in our garage, I still prefer the Zen over our Baleno when I travel alone. It brings a smile on my face every time I drive. Also, we are almost the same age, the Zen being 75 days older to me, making it much more closer to my heart. Pending it's 3rd fitness check this week, I wish to have it for years to come, just to remember how young I really am. Best part is that I still have the owner's manual with the original free service records.
The one regret I have is not having experienced the Padmini and it's good old column shifter. But I strongly hope to do this one day.

Having changed to Blue from White originally,