Rare video of Sachin Tendulkar launching special edition Fiat Palio!

Sachin Tendulkar is a car-enthusiast and it is a well-known fact. Since his early days, Sachin has been associated with car brands in India and there was even a Sachin Tendulkar edition launched exclusively in the Indian market. Here is the rare footage of Sachin Tendulkar himself launching the car in Auto Expo, Delhi.

The young Sachin Tendulkar can be seen launching the Fiat Palio S10, which was a special edition car dedicated to him. The launch happened at the 2002 Auto Expo in Delhi. The “S10” moniker was inspired by Sachin’s initials and his jersey number. It was a limited edition car and only 500 units were sold in the market. The Palio S10 came with a bright yellow paint scheme, which became its identification mark. Back in the day, Fiat launched the special edition Palio S10 at a price of around Rs. 5 lakhs.

The Palio S10 was based on the Palio GTX, which marked the entry of hot hatchbacks in the Indian market. Being a price and fuel efficiency-focussed market, the Palio GTX did not get many buyers in the market. Fiat decided to launch a special edition based on the GTX, which could have pushed the numbers but the market did not respond much.

However, there were quite a few enthusiasts who made the Palio a cult car in its time. Even now, the Palio GTX/S 10 remains one of the most sought-after cars among the enthusiasts. It came with a roof-mounted spoiler, side skirts, five-spoke alloy wheels with Michelin rubber and Sachin Tendulkar’s signature and logo all over the car’s exterior and interior. The S10 version also came with a metal plate that had the unique number engraved on it. The S10 version also came with aluminium pedals.

The best part of the S10 was the engine. It was powered by 1,596cc, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine that produces a maximum of 100 Bhp at 5,500 rpm and 145 Nm of peak torque at 4,250 rpm. The Palio S10 came with a power-to-weight ratio of 92.6 Bhp per tonne making it a brilliant vehicle for the enthusiasts. Fiat also altered the gearbox in the S10 to change the ratio of the third and four gear. It improved the mid-range performance of the hatchback by quite a lot.

Currently, Sachin Tendulkar is the brand ambassador of BMW India and drives around in a several high-end Bimmers. Sachin also owned a Ferrari Modena, which was gifted to him by Micheal Schumacher but he sold it off later. Sachin’s garage currently holds a customised BMW i8, BMW X6M, BMW 7-Series, BMW 5-Series, BMW M5 and BMW M3. He reportedly still has the Maruti 800, which was the first car he bought.

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