Tata Estate Modified To Resemble Mercedes-Benz W124 T-Series Wagon

Tata Estate was the brand’s first attempt to produce passenger vehicles. It was largely based on the carmaker’s Telcoline pickup, which was underpinned by a chassis borrowed from Mercedes-Benz’s T2 truck. But if examined closely, it appears that the Estate was not just borrowing the chassis from the German brand, but some styling cues as well. It had an uncanny resemblance to the W-124 T-Series Wagon sold in that era. While we were trying hard to find concrete proofs to back our statement up, we came across a modified Tata Estate from Kerala that clearly shows the strong connection between the two station wagons.

It can be seen in the video above that this particular Estate now features a modified grille, which belongs to the W-124. Also, the headlamps are a direct lift from the German car. However, the bumper, bonnet, and fenders are stock. On the sides and the on the rear, this Estate has been kept as is, except for a pointed-arrow logo below the rear windscreen. But an aftermarket sunroof has been fitted in it now, which gives it a premium touch.

This Tata Estate features elements from Mercedes-Benz W-124 Estate on the front face.

On the powertrain front, we don’t know if anything has been changed on this car to give it some extra juice. However, in its stock form, it was offered with a 2.0L naturally-aspirated diesel engine. This oil-burner was sourced from Peugeot. It boasted a peak power output of 68 PS and a max. torque of 118 Nm. The transmission duties were performed by a 5-speed manual transmission. Unfortunately, the engine had a pretty poor fuel efficiency, which is something that didn't go down too well with the well-heeled customers of the Estate.

The video does not reveal the car’s interior. Therefore, we cannot comment on what changes have been performed to the cabin. Estate was initially launched as one feature-loaded car. It came equipped with power steering, power windows, tachometer, remote-controlled Kenwood sterior and aircon, all of which used to a big deal back in the early 90s.