Legends : Fiat Palio S10
Fiat plonked in the 1.6na motor from the GTX, and boy, they did cook up a 3-course meal for car enthusiasts.
It was the year 2002; Sachin Tendulkar was at his peak and had a massive fan following. People used to love him so much, and Fiat wanted to capitalize on it. They signed a deal with the master blaster and got out this! The Fiat Palio S10, yeah, it was a bright yellow-coloured Palio. Was it big? You might ask. Well, Fiat plonked in the 1.6na motor from the GTX, and boy, they did cook up a 3-course meal for car enthusiasts.
The first course was the 1.6 na motor. It produced a whopping 97 bhp and 137 Nm of torque, which was super respectable at that time. A sporty motor and great suspension meant it was the ideal car for an enthusiast with a limited budget.
The second reason is that you don’t see this car everywhere. Fiat only produced 500 of these cars, and each had a unique number plaque.
The dessert was Sachin Tendulkar's autograph on the bright yellow paint. The car had Sachin's autographs on many panels, which made it more desirable for cricket fans.
We were having some chai near Neopolis, and we saw a distinctive yellow car on the road; as we guessed, it was Aryan and his friend who showed up to the shoot. I immediately jumped into the driver's seat to experience the 1.6 NA motor and boy, I had a super wide smile on my face. The car felt super raw and throaty while revving and pulled like a diesel! Yes, you read it right; it did pull like a diesel. The torque on this motor is insane; combined with the engine's high-revving nature, it makes up for a great weekend car as well as a daily.
The power is put down by a 5-speed tranny and felt better than my punto. Rowing through gears was a breeze and also made the drive more enjoyable. The throws are a bit long, making you feel like Dominic Toretto while downshifting.
The interior of the car looks decent for its time. It had a 6-speaker music system, which was super rare in its time, and a cassette player, which this car still has. Aryan has also stacked up some old cassettes, which he listened to.
This car is bloody 22 years old and is still better than most mass-market hatchbacks in terms of feel and feedback! As with every Fiat, the suspension is great and offers a good balance between handling and comfort.
Picking up a Palio today is a horrible decision as finding a good car like this one is super rare and even if you manage to get one you’ll struggle to find spares. It is better to admire this car from a distance and you can try to experience it once. The experience will last in your memories for a very long time