First Maruti 800 sold in India gets lease of life at Maruti Service Centre

Do you know that the keys of first-ever Maruti 800 sold in the country were handed over to its owner Harpal Singh by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on December 14, 1983. Over the years, Harpal Singh continued to use the car, but after his death in 2010, the vehicle was left to rust on the road, just outside his family home in Green Park, Delhi, as there was no one to take care of it. 

The car with a registration number of DIA 6479, however, got people's attention in 2015 as the images of India’s 1st Maruti 800 were circulated on social media. Many showed interest in purchasing the car. 

The car still in the name of its first owner, Harpal Singh, as per RTO records, as reported by Rush Lane, has now got a new lease of life. The Maruti car is now reportedly being restored at a Maruti Service Centre, and would soon be showcased in its new shape. 

Notably, Maruti 800 retained its supremacy for about three decades after entering into Indian market in 1983. In that era, Fiat Premier Padmini and Ambassador cars used to be the dominant players, but the Maruti car overtake its rivals and became the first love of the middle class in the country due to its affordable price and fuel efficiency.

According to the report, there is one more Maruti 800 car registered at the same RTO as that of Harpal Singh’s M800, but it was mentioned in the date of September 13, 1983, while Harpal Singh’s M800 was registered on December 19, 1983. 

It is stated to be a pre-production car, which could have probably been used as dealer test drive car and later sold to a customer.

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If we look at features of the first generation Maruti 800, it was powered by a 796cc, 3 cylinder F8D petrol engine that delivered 35 bhp of max power.