1982-1999 Mahanti F8
Since 1956, Mahanti had been known for manufacturing the venerable Nishima Tansa X10 under license. Though the Tansa was cheap and easy to manufacture, by the late 70s, the limits of the design were beginning to show. As such, a replacement had to be found.
Initially, Mahanti would approach Nishima to license the next generation X20 Tansa, however, in 1976, Nishima would begin exporting the X20 themselves to India, forcing Mahanti to find another solution.
The solution that Mahanti found came in the form of a young engineer, Hira Chakarvarti. Chakarvarti and a group of Mahanti engineers used their knowledge gained from manufacturing the X10 to design a completely new design.
Powered by a license built Merciel 1.8L inline 4, the new car was more rugged than the old X10, cheaper and easier to manufacture, and would also attempt to solve the issue that plagued the X10, frame rust, though it was unsuccessful.
The new car would be unveiled in a press event in 1981 and would be named the Mahanti F8. The F8 would be very successful. As a family car, the F8 was spacious and could seat up to 6 people comfortably. As an affordable offroader that could handle any terrain, it was perfect for the rural countryside. A PTO was even offered as a factory option, increasing the versatility of the F8.
From the factory, the F8 would come in two body styles, 4 door hardtop and 2 door pickup, though many can be found with custom body work to convert it into anything from a minibus to a draisine.
The F8 would be manufactured in Mahanti’s Chennai plant from 1982 to 1999, where it would be replaced by a newer design. The F8 would be exported all over Asia, with many finding their way to places like Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, where they would see sales success. The F8 would also be used by the Indian military before being replaced in 2004.