Mahindra has been making Jeeps under license from the owners of the Willys brand since after the Second World War. From the time of old CJ Willys to the Major and the current Thars, Mahindra’s Willys Jeep-based vehicles have always held a special place in the hearts of Indians and have made us do some rather crazy things with them. In this article, Cartoq lists 5 crazy things people have done in and with Mahindra Jeeps.
1) Turned the Jeep Into a crazy rat rod
The Mahindra Jeep has a go-anywhere nature, but one thing it can’t do is go fast. Cue this custom rat rod based on an old Willys low body placed on a Bolero chassis with some added Gypsy parts that have been slammed down low to the ground. This Rat rod, owned by Shaharyar Ahmed Siddiqui, is powered by the 2JZ 3.0-litre straight-six engine from the original 1986 Toyota Supra. This rat rod jeep rides on massive Yokohama Geolander 33-inch tyres fitted on to regular Bolero rims which also house Bolero brakes.
2) Turned it into a six-wheeler
Mercedes may have its massive six-wheeled three-axle G Wagen 6×6 but Pune-based customisers Grizzly customs may just have beat them with their crazy 6-wheeled Thar. Instead of adding on another set of axles to the Thar, Grizzly customs took their cues from trucks and have mounted an extra wheel on either side of the rear axle of this bonkers Thar. This they claim is to make the Thar more agile and allow it to tow loads of up to a tonne in weight. For more details about this six-wheeled Thar click here.
3) Crossing a Canal through the water
The Mahindra Thar is one of the most capable off-roading machines currently on sale in India. With its billy-goat like clambering abilities, it comes as no surprise that it can ascend and descend steep inclines with ease as it demonstrates in the video above by first sliding down the steep slopes of the canal and then clambering up the other side. The Thar initially gets stuck but then retreats back into the canal, before powering back up the slope and jumping on to dry land.
4) Rescue a tractor
A tractor stuck in the mud with a trailer stuck to its back isn’t what you would want to pull out with fancy SUVs. However, the Thar CRDe seen in this video gives the tractor the initial tug needed to pull the farm vehicle out of the mud, thanks to its ability to tow up to 750 kilograms of weight and the 250Nm of torque on offer from its engine. While the tractor finally pulls itself out, without the Thar’s initial tug it could have been stuck where it was, a whole lot longer.
5) Climb up a flight of stairs
What happens when a big flight of stairs lies between you on the main highway and your parking spot? Well if you’re in an MM550 with your mates crowded in the back you do what these guys in Kerala did – you climb the stairs using the Jeep. The MM550 clambers up the steep flight of steps with the agility of a mountain goat to the delight of the guys sitting in the back.
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