28 Year-Old Tata Sierra: Beautifully Restored To Brand New Condition (Video)
Tata Sierra is indeed an iconic model. It was India’s first indigenous passenger vehicle and was first launched in 1991. In the years that followed, Tata Motors gave it a slew of updates that ensured that this SUV stayed competent in the fast-evolving market. The Sierra remained on sale till 2003. In the recent past, we have come across many tasteful restorations and resto-mods based on the Sierra. Here’s another one in the line- a 1997 pre-facelift Sierra that has been restored to its former glory, with the most precision and attention to detail.
This vehicle belongs to a person named Rishabh (123.rishabh on TeamBHP). In a post on the platform, he detailed the entire restoration journey. He has been working on the SUV for over 1.5 years now. The vehicle now looks immaculate. Nevertheless, it is still a work in progress, and we might see more improvements being implemented in the future.
Rishabh says that the Sierra made the enthusiast in him fall for it. Back in the day, his family used to own a Maruti 800. He used to drool over the Sierra whenever one passed by. Like many, he too was extremely impressed by the massive rear glass area (alpine windows) and the swag they carried. As a kid, he even had a plastic pushback toy of the Sierra, finished in Red.
In June 2024, he bought the Sierra rather instinctively. He came across a diecast model of the Sierra on Facebook, and ended up ordering it. Things did not stop there. He searched OLX and sourced a 1997 model (pre-facelift first generation) Sierra in the German Red colour. He says that the vehicle was in a ‘pretty original condition’ at the time of purchase.
It was a second-owner car, kept unused in Punjab for over 12 years. Rishabh connected with the owner over the phone, examined the vehicle over video and without negotiating much, agreed to purchase. He later went to Punjab to inspect the car in person and to take it home.
This owner further adds that the vehicle had all the original monograms when he took it home. It is in fact, hard to find units with all these in place. The condition of this vehicle showed that it was treasured by the family it belonged to. The odometer had 136160 kms on it, and none of its body panels had undergone major repairs in the past. This was indeed a good buy for the new owner.
Rishabh says that despite being stationary for over 12 years, the vehicle fired up without much struggle. It, however, needed a lot of work in many areas. Some components needed mending, others needed to be replaced, and there was some oil leak as well. The blower and AC were non-functional.
Rishabh started the restoration soon after taking the car home. However, sourcing parts was hard. Considering the Sierra’s age, and the fact that it has been over two decades since it got discontinued, this felt obvious! Rishabh says that it took him almost 1.5 years to get these works done.
The suspension was given a complete overhaul. It now has new bushings. The timing belt cover was also changed. It now uses a modified Sierra Turbo cover. (The 1997 pre-facelift model has a non-turbo diesel engine. The engine and gearbox mounts have also been changed. Rishabh even gave it a brand-new Red paint job. This SUV now looks like it just rolled out of the showroom.
The next BIG launch from Tata Motors is going to be the new Sierra. This iconic nameplate is set to return in two distinct forms- ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) and EV. Both these will launch this year itself. The ICE version will have both petrol and diesel engines and the EV will likely borrow its powertrains and underpinnings from the outgoing Harrier.EV. The EV will launch in November.