Maruti Zen was an affordable car to hoon around in the early 90s. However, in its second generation, the car lost its charm and adopted a tall-boy stance. But before discontinuing the first-gen Zen in the Indian market, Maruti introduced a limit production run 3-door model of the car. The 3-door Zen came in 2 paint schemes – Black and Silver, which were sold as Zen Carbon and Zen Steel, respectively. These 3-door models are an uncommon sight as the carmaker sold only 600 units of these cars in the Indian market. But we came across one, and that, too, one which has been tuned to offer higher performance. The car belongs to one Vineeth Nair, who hails from Kerala.
This Lowered Maruti Zen Looks WAY COOLER Than Any Modern A-segment Hatchback
Maruti sold a total of 300 units each of the Zen Steel and the Zen Carbon.
Talking of the cosmetic add-ons, there aren’t any. But the deletion of chrome has been done with the use of black inserts. The owner has kept the car in its stock form in terms of its look. A long antenna is, however, fixed on its tail. The owner of the car has tuned it like an ideal sleeper as there are a lot of changes that have been performed under its skin. To start with, it gets the bigger and more powerful 1.3L 4-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol motor from the Esteem.
Here's a Swanky Maruti Zen Carbon With The Baleno's Heart
To date, the 3-door Maruti Zen is the cheapest 2-door car sold in India.
To let the bigger engine inhale better, it gets a cold air intake from HKS. Similarly, to let it exhale without any resistance, a custom-made exhaust manifold is used with an aftermarket muffler. The car has been shod with Esteem’s brake kit to let it stop in the time. It now uses dampers from bigger Gypsy to offer improved dynamics. And, to grip the tarmac tightly, this Zen now sits on a set of 13-inch 5.5J 5-spoke alloy wheels. These aftermarket rims are wrapped in a set of 175 mm wide Nankang rubber with an aspect ratio of 60. With all of these modifications, this car appears as a perfect compact car to enjoy the serpentine roads.