Wildly Modified Cars of India: Mini 'Thar' Wrangler, G-'Jimny' Wagon, Swift 'Cooper'

What is something that is illegal in most parts of the country but should be encouraged? Car modifications.

Not all modifications are banned. The government allows paint colour change and wrapping by obtaining permission from the RTO. There are no prohibitions on bolt-on accessories such as body cladding, front splitters, side panels etc and suspension change can also be done if it does not alter the ground clearance too much.

Any exhaust louder than 80db is illegal, any headlight above 1.5 metres from the ground is illegal, any light that can blind a person from eight metres or less is illegal if you have installed additional lights for offroading etc, you have to cover it in the city use (not something most Creta and Thar drivers agree upon). 

Engine swaps are also illegal because they alter the chassis and engine number of the car, however, RTO can approve the change of engines. 

Still, all these accessories like aftermarket exhaust etc are on open sale and the government charges taxes from the manufacturers, resellers and buyers. Why is it so? If it is so bad, then ban it completely. Or let everyone do modifications and enjoy their vehicles. 

Some enthusiasts modify their vehicles to make it distinct from the crowd and have their unique identity. Today, we will be taking a look at some of the top Indian cars that have enthusiasts' favourites across the nation for modifications.

Wildly modified cars in India

Lord Bolero 

There are only a few cars in the Indian market that have managed to achieve the legendary title of Lord. The Mahindra Bolero is one of them. It offers robust body-on-frame construction along with a workhorse diesel engine. The car is mostly loved by people who drive their car daily on rough roads. Many people have installed custom 4X4 systems, snorkels, better suspensions, wider alloys and offroad tyres to make Bolero an off-road beast. 

Lord Alto 

The Alto has earned its lord title by democratising the cars to most Indians. The car is an entry-level product from Maruti Suzuki hence it becomes the first car for many Indian families. People love their Altos and they show it to the world by putting bigger alloys, wider tyres and better suspension for better performance on and off the road. 

Maruti Suzuki Swift

The Maruti Suzuki Swift has been India’s favourite hatchback ever since its inception. People have shown immense interest in every generation of the swift. When the brand discontinued Fiat sourced 1.3-litre multijet diesel engine from the car, many automobile pundits assumed that Swift might see a downfall.  However, the Swift never stopped.

It still is a top seller in its segment and many people still aspire to own this as their first car. Mods like rear spoilers, big alloys, wide tyres, and front splitters make this car appear sportier than it is. Many sober cosmetic mods like the smoked-out tail lamps and headlamps also make the Swift look very attractive.

Mahindra Thar 

2020 was the year when Mahindra decided to drop a banger in the form of a new Mahindra Thar. It instantly became a viral sensation and has now become a proper cult in the nation. The car is a blank canvas, there are endless modification possibilities, the most common and the most attentive one is making it a Wrangler, at least visually.

The car looks better with its grille, bumper and headlights swapped. People go wild and install humongous wheels and tyres on the Thar for aesthetics, however, many sensible mods like suspension upgrades, and offroad tyres along with beadlock wheels and a snorkel make it an offroad monster.

The brand has now launched the Thar Roxx and we expect this too to become a mod lover’s favourite in some time. 

Volkswagen Polo

How can we forget the legendary German hot hatch while talking about modification culture in India? People have built some crazy fast and sharp handling Polos in the nation. People tune the ECU of this car along with modifications to the engine to boost the power output of the car significantly. The chassis of the Polo is also strengthened by putting in roll cages to make it a beast on the race tracks. Some cosmetic mods like the smoked-out lights, sporty big alloys with low-profile tyres, lowered suspension for better stability, rear spoiler and front splitters etc make the Polo a visual delight.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny

Just like the Thar, the Jimny too has endless modification possibilities. The car is not as popular as the Thar, however, many crazy modified Jimnys have been made. Many, people install kits to make it look like a Mercedes G Wagon and it does look like a scaled-down version of the G Wagon from a distance after the mods. Other useful mods like altering the suspension, putting a snorkel, installing wider alloys and offroad-focused tyres on Jimny are a common sight for Jimny.

Toyota Hilux

Toyota Hilux is a globally renounced pickup truck which is also a blank canvas for modifiers in its stock avatar. The car can be customised heavily by putting offroad focused tyres, sportier beadlock wheels, snorkel, a cover for the rear trunk and more. There are also provisions to make the rear trunk space like a cab by putting a hard top and bench seats. The car is also one of the oldest and wildly popular vehicles in the world, hence, the mod possibilities for this car are endless. 

Conclusion

As you can see, the mod culture and love for custom-built vehicles is immense in our nation. People get emotionally attached to their vehicles and then it is nothing less than a relation with a person. Just like we take care of our loved ones, we also take care of and pamper the cars by making them better in terms of looks as well as performance.

However, we do not recommend going against the law for any modifications. We just hope one day authorities will realise every modified vehicle is not a threat and make the modifications legal. So that everyone can build the car they want.