The first Maruti 800 rolled off the assembly lines at the Maruti Suzuki plant at Manesar near Delhi, on December 14th, 1983. It went on to create an automotive revolution in the nation, replacing the humble scooter with a four-door hatchback. Back then, the only indigenously manufactured cars available to the Indian customer were the Hindustan Ambassador (Morris Oxford) and Premier Padmini (Fiat 1100D). Both cars were decades old, with aging mechanicals and even more dated looks.
The little matchbox, as it was sometimes affectionately called, enthralled people with its modern design, spartan interiors and frugal engine. It was based on the Suzuki Fronte / Alto, a “Kei-car” designed for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM). “Kei” being a Japanese category for city runabouts that comply with government tax and insurance regulations. In Japan, the engine capacity was restricted to 550cc, besides having caps on engine bhp, external dimensions, and overall weight. But when Suzuki ramped-up exports to foreign markets, they upgraded the cars to better suit the conditions they would be driven in.
The Maruti 800 arrived on our shores as a knocked down kit, with a 796 cc motor, bigger 12-inch wheels and a pseudo hatch that had an opening rear glass lid. Only the tires and battery were locally sourced (Exide and MRF). Along with its affordable price tag of Rs.48,000, it was well within the reach of the middle-class Indian. It introduced the masses to superior Japanese build quality and their meticulous attention to detail.
A short three years later, Maruti released the second generation Suzuki Alto with the SB308 chassis code.
Still retaining the 796 cc engine but with a new body shell and updated interiors, the car went on to be a best seller for a good two decades, only to be overshadowed by the newer generation Alto (actually the 5th generation of the Alto in the Japanese Domestic Market). In between we saw the cute, jelly-bean Zen, which was really a Suzuki Cervo. Besides being a huge success here, it was exported from India to the UK and the BeNeLux region in large numbers (albeit in a two-door version).
The much sought after 1985 DX version is an extremely rare car, and will leave the driver pleasantly surprised with a whistle from the air filter (it has a setting for summer and winter seasons) at the end of its rev range. Rest assured it can be used as a daily ride even with well over 100,000 km on the clock. The transmission slots in neatly and allows for brisk acceleration in all four gears, and an impressive 120 km/h on the highway ensures it can keep up with even the most modern cars. This particular model came with Stanley leather seats, an Air Conditioner, a Clarion AM/FM tuner, a digital clock on the dash, and a Nippon Denso speedometer with ‘Made in Japan’ proudly printed on it.
Today, one can walk into a Maruti dealership and buy the latest version of the Suzuki’s Kei car, the Maruti Celerio.
It has a modern 1-litre engine doing duty under the hood, and a semi-automatic gearbox which makes for excellent driving characteristics. This car may look worlds apart from the original, but the basic formula remains the same. Small dimensions, roomy interiors, a bullet proof engine, pocket-friendly mileage and a cute, yet mature design. Sadly the Maruti 800 has been taken out of production, emission norms sounding the final death knell, much to the disappointment of me and countless other car enthusiasts around the country (some sources tell me there are still some 800’s available at dealerships that have pre-ordered and stocked them in their inventory.)
At a time when reliability, economy and comfort were not expected of cars in India, the Maruti 800 was a breath of fresh air. Cheap to run and maintain, the car put the nation on wheels, bringing more smiles and miles to the gallon (or rather the liter). But most of all by bringing motoring to the common man.
Aerospace Dynamics 