Cool Jeeps You Can't Have - Mahindra of India

[jscherb]

It's a beautiful day today in New Delhi so I took a walk around the local neighborhood before breakfast. There were a good number of new Thars in the neighborhood. I spotted this one with sun shades on the side windows (and captured myself in a Kurta, my typical attire for India):

Getting back home, I searched and discovered that these are genuine Mahindra accessories: https://www.m2all.com/thar-2020-car-accessories-magnetic-sun-shades-set.html. They seem pretty simple and attach magnetically

My better half is always trying to block the sun when we're on long trips in the JKU - I'll have to see if a Mahindra dealer has these in stock and if so I'll pick up a set to take home to serve as examples for making a Wrangler version.

 

[unleashd]

@jscherb
You can try these

Car Window Sun Shade - 2 Pack Breathable Mesh Car Rear Side Window Shade Sunshade UV Protection for Baby Family Pet, Mosquito Net Curtains Fit for Most(95%) of Cars, Cover Full Window Semi-transparent https://a.co/d/3zGwqp4

 

[jscherb]

@jscherb
You can try these

Car Window Sun Shade - 2 Pack Breathable Mesh Car Rear Side Window Shade Sunshade UV Protection for Baby Family Pet, Mosquito Net Curtains Fit for Most(95%) of Cars, Cover Full Window Semi-transparent https://a.co/d/3zGwqp4

The way I read the Amazon page, those seem to install on the outside of the door. I did magnetic screens for the outside of the doors a few years ago, but for insect protection while camping, not for shade. They work very well, but I think something on the outside would collect dirt and other debris while driving, especially in inclement weather, so I like the idea of the ones I saw on the Thar yesterday better because they attach magnetically to the inside. I think because of that they can be installed/removed while driving and they won't collect dirt.

These are the magnetic bug screens I did:

If I thought exterior screens was the way to go, I could just do something like these again with a sunscreen material instead of bug screens.

 

[jscherb]

Grille covers are common over here just like in the U.S., although I haven't seen as many angry bird grilles here as I do at home. More popular are grilles to make the new Thar more closely resemble a JK/JL, and grilles for the older that to make it look more like a TJ. I spotted this one on a first generation Thar in the neighborhood, you can decide if it succeeds as looking like a TJ grille:

Here's a factory grille on the current model Thar vs. an aftermarket JL-style grille, the Thar at right also has an aftermarket Wrangler-styled bumper:

One such aftermarket bumper: https://automods.in/product/wrangler-style-bumper-mahindra-thar/

And the grille: https://shop.azad4x4.com/product/jl-series-grill/

 

[jscherb]

Some accessories on a new Thar. This one I spotted parked on the street yesterday in Mysore, Karnataka in south India has an aftermarket JL-style grille like the one in the previous post. Also has LED headlights and LED lights at the bottom corner of the windshield.

Side steps. Not sure why these are installed, there's no evidence of a roof rack to climb up to.

Notice in the first photo there are no recovery hooks on the front bumper. This strap loop is the substitute:

 

[jscherb]

Spotted this pair of old and new Thars in the Mysore Zoo parking lot yesterday.

The new Thar is accessorized with steps on the front door hinges (again like the one in the earlier post, no rack on this one to climb up to), an aftermarket bumper with light mounts (but no lights yet) and big-rig type clearance lights on the hardtop.

The older Thar has an aftermarket bumper, a very weathered winch and large driving lights. Check how the winch fairlead is mounted - I can't imagine how it can work that way.

It also has a roof basket, which is attached to the soft top structure through holes in the canvas, a very common thing to do in India. I don't think I've ever seen it done in the U.S.

The factory soft top doesn't fold down and there's more structure under it than a Wrangler soft top so mounting a rack to the structure isn't a problem.

The older Thar has another accessory that's very common on vehicles in India. Hanging from the driver's side mirror is what looks like a knotted rope. Exactly what it is and the symbolism of it, which is more involved than I'll get into here in this post, is to protect from an evil eye and jealousy. Many vehicles in India, including huge cargo trucks, have some form of these attached.

Accessorizing jeeps here is becoming much more common these days, especially with the new Thar.

 

[jscherb]

The Jeep Forward Control was in production in the U.S. from 1956 through 1965, but in India it stayed in production for another 34 years - until 1999. Many different versions were produced in India, including busses and ambulances, and many are still very much in use today, 58 years after they went out of production in the U.S.

This one, operated by the City of Mysore, was in use yesterday trimming trees along the road.

I wonder if FC enthusiasts in the U.S. know that India could be a source of spare parts for their restorations?

 

[Zeep]

I always thought the FC's were pretty cool and unique, as well as under powered.

 

[jscherb]

I always thought the FC's were pretty cool and unique, as well as under powered.

Yes, probably underpowered for the U.S., but just fine for India - speeds are lower here plus the FCs generally have diesel power, which is probably an upgrade from what was available in U.S. FC's. Most vehicles here have fairly small 4 cylinder gas or diesels, so traffic speeds are more or less regulated by the preponderance of lower powered vehicles on the road.

Speaking of power and speeds, here in Mysore I've been "driving" a Honda Scooter. It's got pretty good pickup and top speed and in the city it's more than adequate to keep up with traffic. The challenge is that I've been away from here since before the pandemic so I'm a little rusty at driving on the other side or the road and at navigating uncontrolled intersections where traffic is coming from four directions at once and nobody really stops. No incidents so far though, fingers crossed.

When I get back to Delhi next week I'll have the rental Thar to drive and that'll be a different experience - more power than the scooter of course but much worse traffic to negotiate. Wish me luck .

 

[AmericaOverland]

Wow, lots of info in the last few days! I'm flying out to Nepāl for a few days via Dillī next week, and I'll be back on the 10th. I'm still waiting on my Indian driving license, which I'm supposed to attend to ASAP after the trip, and then I'll find a vehicle. I am looking at a first-gen Thar, pre-facelift (pre-2015), an MM 540/550, and a Mahindra Bolero. I most likely would have to convert the Bolero to 4WD, as nearly all of them didn't come that way.

 

[jscherb]

Seeing many Thars here with aftermarket accessories on them has me looking for interesting ideas to bring back to the U.S. When I first got here I posted about the magnetic window shades that Mahindra offers; a set has been ordered and hopefully will be in my hands before I leave the country. I'll use them as examples for making Wrangler versions.

I saw a roof rack cover the other day so I searched and found this:

I've seen lots of cargo bags that you would put on top of a rack, but this is the first full cover I've seen. It comes in 3 sizes, although there doesn't seem to be any dimensional information on the site. I checked the manufacturer's site (Bimbra 4x4) and didn't even see the cover listed there. They did list several different size racks, so probably the covers are sized to those racks.

The prices above convert to roughly $24 to $42 so they're pretty affordable here.

Probably only practical to be sold by a roof rack company to fit their specific racks though, a generic fit probably wouldn't work out. But a used Wrangler soft top could be resewn to fit a specific rack as a DIY project.

More info here: https://automods.in/product/cover-for-roof-carrier-rack-for-new-mahindra-thar-2020/

 

[givemethewillys]

The Jeep Forward Control was in production in the U.S. from 1956 through 1965, but in India it stayed in production for another 34 years - until 1999. Many different versions were produced in India, including busses and ambulances, and many are still very much in use today, 58 years after they went out of production in the U.S.

This one, operated by the City of Mysore, was in use yesterday trimming trees along the road.

I wonder if FC enthusiasts in the U.S. know that India could be a source of spare parts for their restorations?

Oh wow, I never realized this.... I'm surprised you don't see anyone importing one.... is there a reason? I for one would love a forward control, especially if it wasn't all rusted out.

 

[jscherb]

Oh wow, I never realized this.... I'm surprised you don't see anyone importing one.... is there a reason? I for one would love a forward control, especially if it wasn't all rusted out.

Some reasons I can think of:

1. People don't know FC's are available here

2. The cost of shipping one to the U.S. might be too high for people (a half-container would do it though).

3. FC's here are hard working vehicles so it might be difficult to find a really nice one.

Since production stopped in 1999 and it is now 2023, all but the 98's and 99's would be eligible for import to the U.S under the 25 years or older vehicle import rule in the U.S.

I researched a lot of this because for years I've been thinking of importing a Mahindra Savari to the U.S. but I haven't pulled the trigger yet on that idea.

Since we're speaking of FC's, check this out:

 

[jscherb]

Wow, lots of info in the last few days! I'm flying out to Nepāl for a few days via Dillī next week, and I'll be back on the 10th. I'm still waiting on my Indian driving license, which I'm supposed to attend to ASAP after the trip, and then I'll find a vehicle. I am looking at a first-gen Thar, pre-facelift (pre-2015), an MM 540/550, and a Mahindra Bolero. I most likely would have to convert the Bolero to 4WD, as nearly all of them didn't come that way.

If you search this thread for "Nepal" you'll find quite a few MM540/550's, pickups and Bolero Campers I photographed when I was in Nepal just before the pandemic....

Search results for query: nepal

expeditionportal.com

 

[jscherb]

Some more for the FC fans from YouTube. Some of these video show some U.S. FCs but mostly they're about Mahindra variants. They're in several Indian languages but the videos are worth seeing even if they're not in English.




There are quite a few more videos on YouTube that feature the Mahindra FC.