Thursday 24th March 2011

Mini Makeover Makes Maruti Magnificent?

Is this how to improve dramatically on an old Suzuki Alto?

---

You have to look quite closely at this Mini to spot that it's not quite the real deal, but the real deal it is not. Beneath that pretty convincing exterior lies the chassis and general innards of a Maruti 800.

Ordinarily we tend to baulk at cars that are pretending to be something they're not (see Mustang-BMW, Mustang-Supra or Mercedes-Silvia for details), but this is a little different.

After all, the Maruti 800 hails from India (this particular one being from Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh) and, being essentially a licence-built Suzuki Alto, turning it into a Mini lookalike can surely only improve its visual appeal.

Also, we imagine that original Minis are rather hard to come by in Uttar Pradesh, and even if you did find one we doubt it would be equipped with air-con (one of the Maruti 800's chief selling points).

All in all, the Maruti-Mini is something of which the PH HQ office approves. Mind you, if you start to look hard the track seems a bit narrow for the body, and there's an odd curve in the roof line.

We also reckon a set of original Mini wheels would finish the whole thing off rather better.

One final issue is the price. It's up for 1,000,000 rupees, which works out at about £13k. And that's a bit on the steep side when you can buy a decent classic Mini in Blighty for less than £4k...

You can have a butcher's at the original classified ad here

[appletonn]

Just wrong, on so many levels

[Frimley111R]

Not bad tbh. Sort the wheels out and its almost indistinguishable from an orginial to most people.

[The Wookie]

Let a bit more air out of it and it'd be perfect

[W00DY]

It looks like it should be on a stand outside a supermarket rocking back and forth, with a slot for 20p coins.

[anonymous-user]

It's erm, alrightttt.
Rated it a 5.

[FWDRacer]

Alec Issigonis says...

[russellwatson17]

Is it just me or does the whole car seem to have a curve? In the second to last photo the thing looks a bit... bent

[airportparking]

Now that I like, shame its so expensive though

[dlockhart]

Is Punjabi MC and an elephant involved in any way?

[GingerWizard]

airportparking said:

Now that I like, shame its so expensive though

your mental.

[oilit]

what a piece of junk - turn it into a fridge along with all the Hindustan Ambassador and the NANO's and do us all a favour

[rutthenut]

Almost like the idea. Don't like the execution. At all.

And from what I knew of the Stewart & Arden, I wonder if BMW will be sending the usual legal letters to defend their ownership of the 'MINI' trade mark and design. Or if that even applies in India.

[airportparking]

GingerWizard said:

airportparking said:

Now that I like, shame its so expensive though

your mental.

Im also a big fan of the jap replicas of old british cars based on Nissans

[Mini1275]

No. Just no.

[Flat6]

More Mini than a Bini!

[wackojacko]

Sensatonaly tacky !

[bob1179]

I dunno, I suppose I quite like it.

Great link too, I've just found a Kitten for sale, but in India it's a 'Dolphin'.

http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-used-for-sale/...

[anything fast]

that looks like a £1.99 plastic die-cast childs toy. silly beyond belief...

[KrazyIvan]

Not the worts reo out there, but I think its the wheels that are really letting it down, I am sure an old pair of steelies cant be that hard to find.

[Sivraj]

Why?