Love at first sight: Which cars made you fall in love with cars & why?

So, dear Team BHP members, what is your "car crush" or "love at first sight" in cars? Is it a car that you've owned and have a nostalgia for?

BHPian idontdrivedoi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

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Team BHP is our closely knit family of car enthusiasts — people who love the thrill of the ride, who crave that horsepower and torque — for whom their car is exactly like their Better Half — and who appreciate cars for more than the numbers. Concisely, you could say we are a community of "car lovers". And that would be correct... But we all have our crushes, the cars which command our undivided attention and affection.

My picks — two discontinued true-blue SUVs that garnered an entirely different level of cult respect. It should be noted that I was kind of raised a car guy as the son of a car guy.. and that my love for cars was seeded, but maybe not kindled, by the numerous official model cars gifted to me as a child (I particularly remember crashing a Lamborghini Aventador model car and a Maybach.. I used to be very destructive while playing with them as a child).. but these two cars made me obssesed with all things automotive.

A white-coloured Tata Safari Storme Varicor 400

This nearly decade old car still brings an ear-to-ear grin to my face each time I see it on the road. I believe cars look their best dressed in black — but this white beauty has had my heart for almost an decade now. The 2.2l diesel, the looks with each edge being crafted to perfection — I still believe that the Safari Storme was the best car to be launched in the nation from the Tata stable. It's also one of the few true blue SUVs which was also luxurious as such. I'm very fortunate that my father's friend owned this one and I had the opportunity to be in the car multiple times in the past.

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

This Japanese SUV was the hallmark of a masculine proper SUV back in the day and I had multiple opportunities to travel in the Pajero Sport as well. In white, the folds on the Pajero Sport looked more alluring than anything to my young eyes. The massive 2.5l turbocharged diesel produced a truckload of power and the car made all terrains feel sublime. Both the Storme and the Sport are rare examples of how a new generation has not only lived up to the original moniker but exceeded the glory of the previous generation.

If you ask me which one made me fall in love.. I'd say the Pajero Sport because it came first and I fell in love first.. but if you ask me which made me fall harder? It'd undoubtedly be the Storme.

So, dear Team BHP members, what is your "car crush" or "love at first sight" in cars? Is it a car that you've owned and have a nostalgia for? Or are they supercars the affinity for whom you've developed from a balanced diet of Fast and Furious, Need for Speed, etc..? Or are they the kind of cars you've seen in person and have the craving to be behind the wheel of?

Here's what GTO had to say in this matter:

Many, many early influences. The 4 standout cars that made me fall in love with cars:

Dad owned a W111 and it's the first car I actually played in. Used to go down all the time & sit behind the steering wheel, acting like I'm driving it:

The first time I drove our white Maruti 800, I was astonished at how "sorted" it was! Coming from a Padmini & Ambassador, the sorted ergonomics were the first thing that impressed me. Then, how peppy it was (for the time), chuckable and easy to drive.

Our 1996 Maruti Esteem was the first "fast" car I owned & the first car I modified with rims, a sporty steering, CD changer etc. It was the Octavia vRS of the mid-90s. Bought it purely for the acceleration, after driving a cousin's Esteem. The 1.3L was quick, especially when compared to the lame duck Maruti 1000:

This beauty made me a "Jeep" guy for life:

Driving all the new cars launched in India only strengthens this love for cars. I can't wait to get my hands on these two fresh launches. The two best things about Team-BHP = posting on the forum & driving all these new cars:

Here's what BHPIan rajeevsulu replied:

When I was a very small boy, my great grandfather had a Plymouth, DeSoto and other cars. Surprisingly these cars never excited me. Later on, my maternal uncle, a member of this forum,@ trrk was gifted this Toyota when he was a medical student.

This car changed my world for ever. I was 10 years old and was awestruck. My uncle later progressed to a Peugeot 304 in which I learnt how to drive. I was 14 at the time.

I don't have pictures of the Peugeot but this picture of the Toyota I got from this very forum.

This is where my automotive dream and journey started.

Cheers

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