Let’s Bring it Back
The return of tasteful car-culture in India is imminent. We are going to go from elitist, shady, exclusive tastes, to inclusive, fun, and tasteful sequences of events.
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Intro:
We all know someone who drove a Suzuki Esteem with chrome wheels.. This reprented about 95% of Indian enthusiasts about 10 years ago. Of course this is an absurd generalization, but my point is this:
Indian automotive culture has experienced a renaissance in the last 5 years.
This change is exhibited through new racetracks, demand for more powerful motors, tastefully custom-built vehicles, and growing media content.
This article discusses not only where we are headed, but also where we came from.
A little history…
Growing up around a group of gentlemen who built and raced everything from Fiat 1100s to custom open-wheel race-cars, I was fortunate enough to get a taste of what being a petrolhead really meant. Having a bunch of cars doesn’t make you a petrolhead, but it’s difficult to say what does make you one.
Growing up in Calcutta, you cannot ignore the history that the city has with motor-racing, however it is also important to note that back then, the government was agreeable to motor-racing events. Today, as if sanctioning an event isn’t difficult enough, a race on closed public roads would result in axles flying into the crowd after a race-car goes into a pothole at 160 kph.
Dark Times 
In the late 90s and early 2000s, India saw cars such as the Tata Indica, the Maruti 800, and the Hyundai Santro – among others. Being fully aware that I am about to hurt some feelings, I will say this anyway:
These underpowered, poorly built, boxes of melancholy found their way into the homes of every other Indian car-owner, and as if like magic, became desirable to the owners AFTER being purchased. Almost seeming like the people who bought them decided to convince themselves that their cars weren’t lacking in personality.
Subwoofers, straight-piped 1000cc 4-cylinder motors, and god-awful stickers became the norm in India. Of course it’s not the fault of the people – anything tasteful or desirable would cost you a kidney and your left nut.
The Renaissance:
While desirable vehicles still cost you a kidney and half your manhood, the secondary market in India is starting to bear fruit. The secondary market, and the internet, have combined to create easier access to global car-culture. With access to used foreign manufactured vehicles at sub INR 1,000,000 prices, and easier access to imported components, Indian custom-cars have gone from bouncy stereo systems and eyesore wheels, to stitched leather interiors and stage-3 camshaft upgrades. The change has truly not gone unnoticed to anyone who can remember the annoyance that resulted from seeing that 19 year old neighbor kid in a cocked-up matte black Suzuki.
This has been a long time coming. India’s rapidly expanding middle class, and materialist principles prove to be a positive driving force when it comes to the second largest expense in a person’s life after their homes – their cars.
People are finally spending money beyond the bare minimum. No one buys that cheap small car if they can comfortably purchase and maintain that bigger, cooler, faster one.
What’s in Store for Indian Enthusiasts?
We gotta keep this momentum going boys & girls. Take a mortgage out on your house so you can get an entry level Mercedes-Benz (I am not liable for your decisions, I can only provide you with financial advice).
The next big step in promoting tasteful culture in India, is for the government to simplify and afford us the opportunity to import used vehicles and automotive components. Instagram shows us all the cool builds from around the world, but we lack the resources to execute anything of similar quality.
On a more positive note, we can expect locally made components to get better as a result of the export hub that the Indian auto-industry is becoming. As consumers, we have to make manufacturers take notice of our priorities and tastes. No more tasteless cheap new cars, we will all buy used E90 BMWs.
Thanks for reading!
Stay safe, and stay sexy.
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