Chinkara Motors, officially Chinkara Motors PVT Ltd, was a

Mumbai, Maharashtra Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

-based auto, marine, ATV and aviation manufacturer. Chinkara operated from 2003 to 2016.

Automotive

Chingara primarily manufactured a 2-seat

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

called the Chinkara Roadster 1.8S, and the Jeepster, a classic 1940s Jeep look-alike. The vehicles were developed at

Alibag Alibag, also known as Alibaug (Pronunciation: �libaːɡ, is a coastal town and a municipal council in Raigad District of Maharashtra, India. It is the headquarters of the Raigad district and is south of the city of Mumbai. Alibag is part of t ...

near Mumbai, India. The name Chinkara comes from a local word for an Indian Gazelle.

Chinkara Roadster 1.8S

The Chinkara Roadster is derived from the Lotus 7. The car is put together out of parts from various Indian cars, including the

Maruti 800 The Maruti Suzuki 800 is a city car that was manufactured by Maruti Suzuki in India from 1983 to 2014. The first generation (SS80) was based on the 1979 Suzuki Alto and had an 800 cc F8B engine, hence the moniker. Widely regarded as the mos ...

and the now defunct Standard Herald. While this allows the car to be reasonably advanced, it allows the use of

intermediate technology Appropriate technology is a movement (and its manifestations) encompassing technological choice and application that is small-scale, affordable by locals, decentralized, labor-intensive, energy-efficient, environmentally sustainable, and loca ...

to compete with a western equivalent that may be more an advanced. For example, news articles on the car say it uses

MacPherson strut The MacPherson strut is a type of automotive suspension system that uses the top of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in the front suspension of modern vehicles, and is named for American automotive engineer Ear ...

s front and rear taken from a Maruti Alto. The Roadster is available in several levels of tuning. *Price: INR 740,000 (excluding taxes) *Engine: In-line, Isuzu 4 cylinder, 1.8 liter/1816 cc (Petrol), @ 5000 rpm, @ 3000 rpm *Transmission: Five-speed Manual *Brakes: Ventilated disc (front and rear) *Tyres: Front – 205/50 R16, Rear – 225/50 R15 Goodyear F1 tubeless *Performance: 6.7sec 0–100 km/h, 187 km/h, 13kmpl (all figures claimed) *Length: *Width: *Height: *Weight:

Jeepster

The Jeepster is an

off-road Off-roading is the activity of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain. Types of off-roading range in intensity, from leisure drives with unmodified vehicl ...

vehicle similar to the classic

Willys Jeep The Willys MB and the Ford GPW, both formally called the U.S. Army Truck, -ton, 4×4, Command Reconnaissance, commonly known as the Willys Jeep, Jeep, or jeep, and sometimes referred to by its supply catalogue designation G503,According to i ...

. With its body constructed of lightweight FRP, the Jeepster can be delivered with a diesel engine or a 1.8L Isuzu petrol.

Other automotive products

Chinkara Motors also produced the following automotive products: *Hammer – a sandrail fast attack vehicle for the Indian defence forces *Rockster –

All-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

*Beachster – Dune buggy *Sailster –

Wind-powered land vehicle Wind-powered vehicles derive their power from sails, kites or rotors and ride on wheels—which may be linked to a wind-powered rotor—or runners. Whether powered by sail, kite or rotor, these vehicles share a common trait: As the vehicle increa ...

* Motor homes

Marine products

The Marine division specialized in the manufacture of

Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP; also called fibre-reinforced polymer, or in American English ''fiber'') is a composite material made of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibres. The fibres are usually glass (in fibreglass), carbon (in carbon-fi ...

multi-hull (

Catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-sta ...

s &

Trimaran A trimaran (or double-outrigger) is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls (or "floats") which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Most modern trimarans are sailing yachts designed for recreatio ...

s) watercraft. They produced both powered and

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

catamarans and powered trimarans Chinkara also builds the Wave Striker power catamaran and Predator powered trimaran

work boats A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

Aviation Products

The Aviation division produced GFP

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of gliding ...

s and

powered glider A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight ...

s, Gyrocopters and

Microlight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

References

External links

Chinkara webpage

the Business Standard Motoring page and search for Chinkara

The Chinkara roadster by BM

{{Lotus Seven Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of India Manufacturing companies based in Mumbai Sports car manufacturers Lotus Seven replicas Indian brands 2003 establishments in Maharashtra 2016 disestablishments in India Indian companies established in 2003 Indian companies disestablished in 2016 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2003 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 2016