The Dolphin Car: India's Forgoten Sports Hatch that Deserved Better

 

During the mid-1980s to early 1990’s, spotting a Dolphin car on Indian roads was a special moment. At a time when the Ambassador and Premier Padmini dominated the streets, this lightweight, sporty hatchback stood out like a breath of fresh air.

The Dolphin, built in Bangalore by Sipani Motors in collaboration with England's Reliant Kitten, was far ahead of its time. It wasn't just another small car but an engineering marvel that quietly earned a legendary status among enthusiasts and racers.

What made it so special?

The Dolphin stood out among the rest of the crowd with the following features:

✅ Fibreglass body mounted on a chassis, making it incredibly lightweight and corrosion-resistant.

✅ Hatchback weight: just 506 kg (3-door)

✅ Station Wagon weight: 526 kg

✅ Full aluminium 850 cc, 4-cylinder engine weighing only 65 kg, paired with an SU carburettor.

✅ 4-speed synchromesh gearbox.

✅ Aluminium rear axle crown (with steel axle tubes).

✅ 145/70 SR10 tyres on 10-inch wheels (Ballon tyres- Radial).

These numbers translated into an exceptional power-to-weight ratio. Despite having just an 850 cc engine, the Dolphin could sprint from 0–80 km/h in under 11 seconds which was remarkable for its era.

It darted through traffic as if it were on rails. Its handling, grip, and agility made it a favorite on racetracks, rallies, and drag strips, while still delivering an impressive 20 km/l on the highway.

The fibreglass body was another advantage. Minor accident damage could often be repaired with simple FRP work instead of expensive panel replacements.

A proven motorsport pedigree

The Dolphin also proved itself in competition.

Notable racers at the famous Sholavaram circuit included Dr. Saboo, Pratap Jayaram, and Kamlesh Patel.

The legendary Coimbatore racer and tuner Karivardhan (Late) prepared one of the Dolphins driven by Jinan. In perhaps the most extreme evolution of the car, he installed a 1.6-litre Ford Cosworth engine, creating a machine that could outperform much larger and more powerful imported cars of its time.

In rallying, the Dolphin also made its mark.

• Vicky Chandok and Manoj Dalal secured victories in the South India Rally and Rally de Endurance in 1985 and 1987.
• Leela Krishnan of Coimbatore, who later became a five-time National Rally Champion driving Gypsies, also competed in the Dolphin during his early rally career.
• Pratap Jayaram campaigned the Dolphin in drag racing and sholavarm races, with the car believed to have been prepared by Karivardhan and Bob Rupani of Bombay.

The downside

No car is perfect.

The Dolphin's biggest drawbacks were its two-door layout, low ride height, and the lack of a strong nationwide service network. Sipani Motors struggled to provide consistent after-sales support, which limited the car's commercial success despite its engineering brilliance. It had no A/c in the car.

Yet, for those fortunate enough to own or drive one, the Dolphin remains one of India's most underrated performance cars. It was a lightweight machine that was decades ahead of its time.

It may not have achieved the commercial success of the first-generation Maruti 800 (SS80), but among enthusiasts, the Sipani Dolphin continues to be remembered as a true icon of Indian automotive history.

Did you ever see, own, or drive a Sipani Dolphin? Or perhaps watched one race at Sholavaram, Chennai? I'd love to hear your memories, stories, or photographs. Share them in the comments and let's celebrate one of India's forgotten automotive legends.

#SipaniDolphin #SipaniMotors #ReliantKitten #IndianAutomotiveHistory #ClassicCars #MadeInIndia #Motorsport #Sholavaram #CarEnthusiasts #VintageCars #IndianMotorsport #Chennai

Picture Coutesy : Bob Rupani, Indian Auto Journal , GD Naidu Museum and Google phoros

 

 

Trip to yelagiri

 

 

         

                                    Milestone Report for Tata Sumo at 2,30,000 kms

The Tata Sumo is a compact and versatile SUV that has been on the Indian roads for over two decades now. I have been using the Tata Sumo as an office runabout from 2007 onwards. It has done many long-distance drives and but nowadays it is mostly restricted to short distance. After driving 2,30,000 kilometers in a Tata Sumo, I can say that it is a rugged and dependable vehicle that has served me well.

The ride quality is smooth and comfortable, even on rough roads. The cabin space is ample and can comfortably seat seven people, even though the legroom is limited in the second row. The car is equipped with basic features such as power steering, power windows, and AC.

Fuel efficiency is average for this class. It delivers around 9 to 10 km/l on city roads and around 12 on Highways. The diesel engine is reasonable enough for daily driving and light load carrying. Although it lacks enough punch for overtaking and quick acceleration, the ride quality is adequate, and the suspension system copes well with rough roads and heavy loads. The car has a tough and boxy design that gives it a bold and commanding presence on the road. Maintenance costs are reasonable, and spare parts were widely available.

In conclusion, the Tata Sumo is a budget-friendly option and a good choice for those in need of a reliable and spacious SUV. It may lack some of the bells and whistles of more premium SUVs, but it delivers where it matters most.

 

What I Like About the Tata Sumo:

1.      Good ride quality

2.      Sturdy Air conditioner

3.      Airy cabin

4.      Commanding view from the cabin

5.      Front seats are comfortable

6.      Spares are cheap compared to the competition

7.      Glides over broken roads

8.      Oil and filter change can be done at approximately Rs 4,500/-

9.      Engine noise lesser than the Bolero

10.  Second row A/C Blower cools the cabin faster

 What I Dislike About the Tata Sumo:

1.      Engine is not powerful

2.      Cannot overtake in a hurry

3.      Not very fuel efficient

4.      Ponderous handling

5.      Lot of steering play

6.      You can feel the weight

7.      Not advisable to drive above 80km/hr

8.      Cannot do sudden lane changes

9.      Lots of body roll

10.  Little difficult to procure spares nowadays

11.  Bare basic vehicle compared to the competition

12.  Short wheel base and high centre of gravity makes it unstable at high speeds

 

Parts Changed Over the Years

1.      5 sets of tyres changed (Tyres used MRF, Good year, Yokahama, Michelin)

(Note: Good year is good for front end and MRF for rear tyres).

2.      Battery: Currently on 4^th battery

3.      Clutch changed: Presently on 3^rd set

4.      Suspension done up: Presently on the 3^rd set

5.      Shocks Changed: Presently on 4^th set

6.      Pump nozzle overhauled 3 times

7.      A/C compressor changed once

8.      Condenser and evaporator changed twice

9.      Painting redone once completely

10.  FC done last year

11. 

Third row seat completely removed to save weight and now can be used to carry extra luggage

12.  Many electricals switches replaced over the years

13.  Timing belt and Water Pump changed 3 times

Concluding Remarks:

Parts are not freely available as before. Is the company d
eliberately cutting parts supply even though it produced it for nearly 25 years?

 

My first impression on Bajaj Qute

                                        My first impression on Bajaj Qute

Every manufacturer’s goal is to get the biggest pie of the market share. Getting into the higher end of the market gives better margins, but may result in lesser units of sales. Conversely, playing in the lower end provides more volumes, but narrow margins.

 Bajaj is entering a Quadricycle segment (4 wheeler) for the first time with the Bajaj Qute. Here is a sneak peek into what the model holds.

1.Appearance:

It is quite small in proportion compared to other small cars in the market. It is nearly 250mm smaller in length than the nearest rival Maruti Alto

Looks are quite odd and there is no interesting angle that captures attention. However, the front end looks ok.

The body is a mix of metal and plastic body, with the doors, bonnet and dicky made up of plastic.

Interestingly, you have storage space inside the bonnet, which is quite spacious given the diminutive size of the vehicle.

 2. Interiors

 Windows come with sliding glasses. However, there are no winding handles, which can be put down to a cost-cutting measure. Personally, this reminds me of a car from the past, the Citroen 2CV.

Seats are very basic, with only to and fro movement enabled. There is no headrest either. However, you do have seat belts.

The biggest drawback could be the non-availability of A/C, which is not even available as an option. Since the glass is of a sliding type, this will impact the ventilation too. When speaking to the salesperson, he informed me that one fan will be provided at the time of sale.

Gears are not the usual ‘H-type’ gears. It is one down and four up, which mounted on the dashboard The reverse can be activated by pull the gear towards you and engage the gear Even though the gear shift is new, it is quite easy to learn. I feel it will be very easy for first-time learners.

There are few storage bins in the dashboard, under the seat and doors. The vehicle comes with an inbuilt radio and USB card reader and it serves the purpose.  However, the audio quality will not impress you.

3.Driving impression

The interiors are bare basic when you sit inside.

Once you start the engine, (surprisingly you get a self starter) you can unmistakably hear the single-cylinder noise. Thankfully it is bearable and the engine drone is better than a Tata Nano.

Shifting the gears will take little time, but it is easy to master it. Once you get the hang of it, it is a breeze.

Coming to the brakes it is all around drum brakes, meaning it will not be as sharp as the Maruti Alto. So do take the precaution of giving a little space to the person in the front especially in bumper to bumper traffic.

For three people in the vehicle the pickup is reasonable. You won’t lag behind in the city traffic. In the open roads and highways, it will not be able to keep up with the traffic

The marketing team claims that the vehicle gives a mileage of around 35km/ltr in city limits. Even if we assume that it gives around 25 km/hr, it works out to Rs 3 /km—which is quite cheap to operate.

Eg: If your daily commute is 20km and use it for 25 days your bill will come to Rs 1500 a month, whereas an autorickshaw bill in Bangalore will come to Rs 6500 for the same distance. Provided they go by the meter. This is the biggest plus point of the vehicle.

4. Engine

According to the salesperson at the showroom, the engine is taken from Bajaj Pulsar and hence the availability of spares and reparability will be easy. The engine is just 216cc capacity, which is lesser than Tata Nano by 400cc.

5.Negative points

The biggest pain point is the selling price which at Rs 2.8 lakhs on road in Pondicherry is very high. In comparison, the Tata Nano is way superior in every way. Tata Nano also comes with  A/C and power steering in top models.

I think Bajaj is pretty confused as to which market it is catering the vehicle too. Do they want to target students, first-timers or pitch it as the family second car? Basically Bajaj is trying to keep its feet on both on the autorickshaw market and private vehicle market, which is not going to work.

Verdict

 Bajaj has done a good job of launching this quadricyle. However, to succeed they will have to choose the market they are pitching to—the yellow board taxi market or the white board private market. If the target is the private market, then the maximum selling cost should not exceed Rs 1.3 lakhs. 

Chennai to Pondy Heritage Rally 2018

Planning to buy a new car? Here are some essentials to consider.

Planning to buy a new car? Here are some essentials to consider.

Pic Courtesy : Jeep - India

Buying a new car is wonderful experience, but for many people the process can turn out to be quite an ordeal. This gets intensified by the choices available, whether they are buying a car for a first time or exchanging an old car for a new one.

When you are a first time buyer

Here is a step by step guide for first time buyers.

1.     The first issue to tackle is to decide on the budget.

2.     Once this is done, the next will be to decide whether to go for a bank loan or use your savings. If it is bank loan decide on the time period (1, 3 or 5 years) and also decide on the EMI (equated monthly instalment) to see to that it doesn’t pinch your pocket. In case you feel the EMI is on the higher side try to pay a partial amount as down payment so that it reduces your EMI.

3.     Decide on the size of the car, whether to go for a hatchback or a saloon (small, medium or large car).

4.     The next thing to be decided is whether to go for a Petrol, Diesel , EV or Hybridcar. If your daily running is predominantly city driving and involving less than 30 kms it is better to buy a petrol car or EV. If you’re daily running is more than 30 km/day then it is better to go for a Diesel car, HYbrid or long range EV

5.     Many people have bad vibes about diesel cars, egged on by bad memories from their fathers and/or grandfathers days. All they remember is that it is smelly, smoky, slow, noisy, and with a lot of vibration and high amounts of maintenance. However, present day diesel engines are efficient, have very low noise levels, are low on maintenance and are quite fast too. Small EV's better suited for city bigger batteries can take long distance ( be prepared some for long stops and charging station crowds)

6.     Next is to decide on the brand of the car. Do not decide the brand based on the approval of the neighbours/friends/relatives or on the basis of resale value. If the decision is based on the resale value alone, we really don’t need to choose from so many brands. Only one brand would be enough like the good old days. Decide on the basis of what you like and not on your mechanic’s choice. You might have the car for 3 to 5 years, so enjoy the car you love and drive without regrets. If you have a car for more than 5 years even the popular car models would lose their resale value. So at the end of the day, the resale value simply does not matter.

7.     Next is to decide on the specs of the car. For example, Indian brand Maruti has a nomenclature of calling the low end model as LX or LD, middle end as V and top end as Z. Decide what suits your budget and what specific fittings you would like to have.

When you are exchanging your old car for a new car

When it comes to this option many are confused, as they don’t know when is the right time to sell their old car and buy a new one. Let’s consider the many scenarios.

1.     First you have to decide whether your old car is worth repairing or if it’s wiser to replace it.

2.     If your car is somewhere around 10 years, it is time to replace it even if it is well maintained .One reason is that many metropolitan cities are forcing the car owners to dispose of their cars of the road at a 10 years period and in some cities it is 15 years.

3.     If your car body is getting severely rusted it is time to change. Gone are the days when, if a car is rusted, one takes it to a tinkering shop to get it tinkered and runs it for the next 2 years.

4.     If you have a petrol engine car of less than 1ltr capacity and your engine is close to a 1 lakh kilometres or the age is more than 5 years, replace it. Small capacity petrol engines are more stressed out than the larger capacity cars, hence wear and tear is more in small cars.

5.     Sometimes a particular model would have been discontinued, in that case replace unless you are sentimental about the car.

6.     In some cases you would have purchased the car at a discounted price, but maintenance is untenable because of high cost of spares. In this case, replace it after the loan period or after the extended period of warranty.

7.     Never retain a car after 2 lakh kilometres (even if it’s a diesel car), because the overhauling cost will be more than the resale value. Generally speaking Diesel engines are hardier than Petrol engines, they can withstand stress at 80 % level for a long duration. Petrol engines cannot withstand stress for long duration. In the present day turbo engines, the turbo charger can be a costly affair, and sometimes costs can escalate up to Rs 50,000/-.                                                                                                                      caution: Changing EV batteries is a costly affair , sometimes it might cost around 40 to 50 % of the vehicle cost. Resale of the vehicle drops drasticaly                                                                                                                  

czTips of caution for new car owners:

1. Before starting the car for the day, always open the bonnet. Check the engine oil level, radiator water level, brake fluid, coolant, windscreen washer level etc. Always keep a watchful eye for any leaks. Even though it is not necessary in the modern cars, it is better to be safe than sorry.

2. Rats usually raid the cars bonnet and chew on something. A precautious attitude will prevent unwanted breakdowns and costly expenditure. Modern cars uses lot of electronics and even though it does not require you to open the bonnet on a daily basis it is better to be safe .Keep the surroundings clean. Keep dried tobacco leaves in the bonnet and replace it after 2 or 3 weeks. You could also try some of the rat sprays are available in the market. Do not leave leftover food items in the car.

3.  Never take your eyes of the road while driving. Do not get distracted by anything in the car like cell phone, videos, etc. It is better to stop the car while talking on the phone or you can take the call later or via Bluetooth.

4. Some of the horns that are banned in our country are musical horns, Air horns and Electro-pneumatic horns. The legal limit for horns is only 75 decibels. Mostly manufacturers fit the legally allowed horns. Some low budget cars are fitted with only a single horn like that of a bike horn. In such a case, you can replace the original with better horns.

5. If your car is equipped with central locking facility do not leave the car without taking the key out, chances are you might be locked out

6. Always wear the seat belts.

7. Do not fix ultra dark sun control films in your car. Legally it is banned in our country.  Moreover, it affects your peripheral view, side view and it is difficult to reverse especially during night time.

8. If your car is equipped with a reverse camera learn to use it. Also it is better to check with your naked eye, because there are always some blind corners.

9.  If you are driving through unknown towns ask for directions preferably from policemen, or petty shop keepers. Do not ask strangers standing on the road as mostly they will confuse you. If you’re using your cars or smart phone’s GPS, use it with discretion.

                                                      Pic Courtesy: Google Images

Wish you a happy motoring experience with your new car!