This Premier Padmini restomod is one of the best we have seen on the internet and it brings back nostalgic memories
The Premier Padmini, named after a Rajput princess, was produced in India between 1964 and 2000. Initially sold as Fiat 1100 Delight, it was renamed to Premier Padmini a decade later and it rivalled Hindustan Ambassador and Standard Herald. Its popularity rose in the 1970s and 80s as many celebrities owned the four-seater sedan and it was based on Fiat 1200 GranLuce Berlina.
The chances of the Padmini name coming back to India is highly unlikely considering the struggles the Premier brand has faced. The Mumbai-based company sold 26.5 acre land parcel in Pune to a real estate firm for Rs. 217.5 crore in late 2019 and it was where the country’s first sub-four-metre SUV, Premier Rio, was made in an attempt to revive its fortunes following the end of the iconic Padmini’s production.
While you cannot buy a bog-standard Premier Padmini anymore, there are enthusiasts who keep the spirit alive and we have seen several examples of tastefully modified versions. The pictures we are showing here from Mumbai-based MKRAFT Design definitely stands out above the rest as the restomod is a class on its own. An old and presumably beaten up Padmini was taken to build the custom mod and it can make you drool.
It has a two-tone body paint with the base colour in grey complemented by black embellishments. The front grille, round-shaped headlamp surrounds, front bumper guard, a unique shoulder line on either side, rear bumper, pillars and indicator surrounds just below the headlamp assembly are finished in black colour. Other highlights include smoked tail lamps and new set of wheels.
Around the boot opener and on either side of the license plate, you could readily see black elements. The interior appears to have black seats up front and rear, alongside blackened dashboard. No details on whether the resto modded Premier Padmini has performance changes or not. The old model used a 1.1-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 47 bhp at 4,800 rpm and 71 Nm at 3,000 rpm.
It was paired with a four-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels, and it had a top speed of 130 kmph. The nimble four-seater tipped the weighing scale at just under 900 kilograms.
Pic Source: MKRAFT Design
