Fiat Palio S10: Tribute & pictorial guide of its history

The last few units retailed at a massive Rs. 1.74 lakh discount as Fiat's contract with Sachin was to expire.

BHPian sidindica recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The S10 is long gone (been 17 years since it was last sold) and is now a faded memory in the forgotten pieces of history books. Way back in the heydays, many ownership threads existed but none had the actual facts and figures of what and how it came from the factory.

I had created a Palio thread some decades back but it's now time to take everyone back again in time, this time with actual pics and facts.

Enjoy the chronological treat.

Unveiling at auto expo 2002, the single promo car.

Highlights of this ONE off promo car.

• Had ABS
• Driver Airbag
• 5 spoke alloys
• Used by different media publications for reviews
• 100 16V logo above Sachin's Signature

A couple of more pics of the promo car at the auto expo.

• Pic 1 from Autocar India and Pic 2 from Overdrive article.
• This is NOT the serial number 10 car owned by his family at one point of time.

The production car was launched in March 2002 at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 5,67,000, Delhi equating to Rs. 6,18,000 on road.

• The production run of 500 units was planned
• Sachin Tendulkar got keys to serial number 10 car out of assembly line

Below are the pics from the launch. The car in the pics is Serial number 10. Courtesy GettyImages.

This car had 7 spoke wheels, ABS and Driver Airbag. Changed many owners in its due course of time and the car currently resides in Goa.

Here it is:

Production:

• 499 cars were made, and compared to the promo car, the following things were changed:
• Different Alloy wheels
• No ABS
• No Airbag
• Groove on the fender to accommodate the "100 16V" logo below the signature.

The brochure, below (I have this with me even today)

Added/different features compared to GTX:

• The car carried a 68k premium over the GTX and a 17k premium over the GTX SP. Extras offered were as listed below:
• Canary yellow colour, only colour and exclusive
• Sachin Signature motif sticker on right side of the bonnet
• LH and RH Flared fender with contoured wheel arch
• Sachin Signature motif sticker on LH and RH fender
• LH and RH extended side skirt made of fibre pasted on the running board (not drilled and installed like a stone guard of GTX)
• S10 embedded Gel sticker on LH and RH quarter panel
• "100 16v" logos painted red embedded on a groove on both fenders
• Extended rear spoiler covering the whole rear glass pasted on the rear glass
• Inside had gel sill plates with S10 logo with golden borders only on front doors
• Radio with S10 printed cassette flap with silver outer panel cover (Nippon NA005)
• Tweeters on both sides (imported from Brazil)
• The front door speaker was a 6.5" flat cone (imported from Brazil)
• Rear speakers were Kenwood KFC 1358S with blue cone colour, 5.25".
• The front left door inner panel and tailgate bottom inner portion had an aluminium serial number plaque, each.
• Front seatbacks had S10 embroidered logos.
• Mechanically, gear 3 and 4 were short ratios for improved mid-range.
• The end can be a bit raspier and had an extended tip protruding out.
• Headers were painted red.

The Kit:

In addition to the car, it had a bonus kit, see below:

A specially autographed cricket bat by Sachin, with "Fiat" logo packed in a yellow bag, packed in its own cardboard box.

Brass made keychain, with a bat and S10 logo.

The certificate of ownership came in a black cardboard box.

The autobiography book, penned by his brother Ajit Tendulkar, came in a wooden box.

Pics shared by Mr Mike Rowland, owner of an S10 from Hyderabad. It's a first owner car still with him from 2002-present.

Yellow Umbrella, optional accessory not part of the car, which he got at the time of purchase.

Pics of the production S10:

Continue reading BHPian sidindica tribute to the Fiat Palio for more insights, comments & information.