This McLaren sports car replica is actually a Maruti Baleno sedan

Since CBU imports are extremely expensive in India, there are many who turn to transformation jobs. From Lamborghini to Ferrari to Buggati, there are gorgeous to no-so-gorgeous replicas available in India. Well, here is one more and it is a McLaren based on the humble Maruti Suzuki Baleno sedan from the yesteryears. Maruti Suzuki discontinued the Baleno sedan way back in 2007 but it remains alive on the roads because of its new clothes and avatar.

Raj Customs, a modification garage has done this transformation job. Looking at the final product, you will find a lot of design cues from other popular supercars and sports cars around the world. For example, the front of the vehicle looks inspired by the Toyota GT86 and Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ and the likes. The overall look of the car, however, makes it very similar to the McLaren, the new-age ones. To be more specific, it looks like the McLaren 570S Coupe.

Also read: Maruti Suzuki Baleno: Why is it a superhit 5 years after launch?

All the body panels in the car are new. The panels are custom made and fabricated as per the requirement of the buyer. The front of the car also gets a sharp design for the nose and sharp-looking headlamps surrounded in chrome casing. The transformation job also includes lowering the vehicle but we are not sure how it was done. It is possible to do it with suspension modification and by added panels at the lower part of the body. However, it reduces the ground clearance of the car.

The doors of the car are also inspired by supercars. It opens in a butterfly manner with new hinges to support the weight of the doors. The rear of the vehicle is completely new and it does not look like a Baleno anymore. The vehicle gets a new set of tail lamps. It looks like a poorly executed job though.

The wheels are painted purple-black and they do look different. The transformation job has also changed the cabin of the vehicle and it looks completely different. The changes include leather wrap on the seats and steering wheel.

Coming to the engine, it is untouched. Maruti Suzuki powered offered a 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated inline-four-cylinder petrol engine. It produces a maximum power of 94 Bhp and 130 Nm of peak torque. It gets a five-speed manual transmission. The Baleno was a massive success in its time and there are many who linked the Baleno with the social status.

Are modifications legal?

Absolutely not! Such modification jobs are not legal in India as they require structural changes. It can get seized, if police catch such a vehicle on the public roads. However, doing such modification jobs is not illegal, plying them on the public roads is.

The owner of this car has spent over Rs 4.5 lakh to get these changes. It is probably higher than the value of the original car. Now, most people do not want to keep such vehicles inside the garage and they want to show it off and grab attention. That’s how things can go wrong. There are many cases where the cops have seized modified vehicles in the past and have asked the owners to return the vehicle to the stock condition too.

Also read: Hyundai receives more than 30,000 bookings in just 40 days