Indian cars in Guinness and Limca Books of World Records

Being in the news is one thing, but having one’s name in the record books is a totally different feeling altogether. We look at a bunch of cars that managed the feat, and their name now proudly sits against a record or two.

Starting with the oldest vehicle here,

Hindustan Contessa

Guinness Book 1989: Around the world in 69 days

The Vauxhall Victor based Hindustan Contessa is an easy favourite among the retro car lovers in the country, but it also happens to be present in the Guinness Book of World Records. Back in the year 1989, a couple from Delhi (Saloo Choudhary and his wide Neena Choudhary) set out in their Hindustan Contessa to circumvent the world. It took them 69 days 19 hours 5 minutes to do so.

Maruti 800

Guinness Book 1995: 42 people in a single car

The Maruti 800 might be loved by many but how many of those fans can get aboard the vehicle. Well, the answer is forty two. Back in the year 1995, a total of 42 people got inside a Maruti 800, closed the doors, of a stock Maruti to set the record. In the year 2008, another attempt was made, but with seven more people inside the vehicle. The said car was also driven for two kilometers in about 13 mins — with 49 occupants, of course!

Maruti Swift

Guinness Book 2005: 342 Swifts in a single parade

The Swift, launched in 2005, is one of the most successful cars in the country, and that’s hardly a surprise considering it drives well, feels good inside, and keeps the pocket rather happy, too. But none of that can help it reach the record books. For that one would need 342 owners of the Swift driving their much-loved vehicle in a car parade during the 5th anniversary celebrations. That went straight to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Maruti Wagon-R

Guinness Book 2014: 18,458 Kms continuous road trip in a single country 

The Wagon-R is a nice-looking, slightly understated but very practical set of wheels that’s more function than form. The tall-boy has also made an appearance in the Guinness Book of Records, thanks to the 18,458 km long journey in 2014 undertaken by Durga Charan Mishra and his wife Jyotshna. They scaled the length and the breadth of the country in a humble but trustworthy Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R.

Tata Nano

Guinness Book 2013: 10,218 Km road trip in 10 days

Talking of humble, there’s nothing with a smaller footprint than the Nano. Which is not a bad thing as long as that doesn’t hamper the vehicle’s capabilities. Because in this case, that certainly hasn’t happened. The Nano reached the Guinness record book in the year 2013 for the longest journey covering the entire country. Srikarunya Subrahmanyam and his team started from Kanyakumari, circumvented the country, and eventually completed the record run in Bangalore, covering a total of 10,218 km in just ten days.

Tata Nano

Limca Book 2011: Most expensive car (22 Crores)

Another entry made by Tata Nano to the Limca Book of Records was that of being the first gold jewellery car. The Nano might be the least expensive car you can buy in the country but with 80 kilos of 22-carat gold, 15 kilos of silver, and 10,000 stones and gems, it happens to be one of the most expensive ones in the country. Created to celebrate 5,000 years of Indian jewellery, the gold-laden Nano was valued at Rs 22 crore, in 2011.

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