Indian Auto Industry - History & Timeline


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1985 - Maruti Gypsy

Gypsy.JPG
It was introduced in the Indian market in 1985 with the 970cc F10A Suzuki engine and was an instant hit in the civilian market as well as with law enforcement. It was codenamed MG410 that stood for Maruti Gypsy 4 cylinder 1.0 litre engine. Initially, it was only available as a soft-top; but a bolt on hardtop was later introduced to the public after the aftermarket hardtops became extremely popular. It instantly replaced Premier Padmini as the quintessential Indian rally car due to its performance, reliability, tunability and the go-anywhere capability. The carburetted F10A engine made 45bhp and was mated to a 4 speed gearbox. The 4WD transfer case had 2 speeds. It had a freewheeling mechanism [1] on the front axles made by Aisin to unlock the front axles from the hub when 4WD is not used; It reduced rolling resistance, thereby improving fuel efficiency.However, many owners of the Gypsy who constantly complained about the poor fuel consumption never knew about this novel feature.

As quoted by Autocar India
There is nothing that can touch a Gypsy off the road, except perhaps an Arjun battle tank.The trouble is that everything else does better on the road - the ride from the archaic leaf springs all round is horribly bumpy and the interiors are utilitarian as well. Gypsy in a loaded condition (>200 kg load ) is more comfortable. And available with only two doors, its inconvenient too.
 

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I just love the Gypsy , and yes its mainly a success in army due to its good off-roading capability!!

BTW what is the 2nd pic all about?? Some serious off-roading??[lol]
 
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I got some amazing feedback from an army officer, who said that he was not happy with the Gypsy, coz it required no maintenance, unlike the diesel jeeps in his unit, and so all his jawans would be loitering around, and not lying under the vehicle in a pool of oil!!
 
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Yippee!!
Looks like I am good at movies, if not the "Guess the Car" thread!!
And the Gypsy did undergo a few changes, the first when it went to a wider track, that is when it got those "eyebrows" over the wheel arch.
Next was with the heart transplant, the 1.3L was accompanied by a new grill (metal to plastic) and the logo which was more of a constipated lion than anything else!!
 

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