With an appearance not too different from your regular, run of the mill car, sleepers tend to pack quite a punch underneath the bonnet. The popularity of this deception is such that the likes of BMW and Mercedes offer factory fresh examples in the form the M5 and the E63. However, sleepers are rarely made in a factory. Their existence is the courtesy of discretely crazy people who modify their regular cars to suit their own tastes. Our country too has a couple of such hidden gems. Here is one such example, a Maruti Esteem which has received a number of modifications, giving it a claimed top speed of 200 kmph.
To achieve this speed, the car is transformed underneath the skin while retaining the exterior looks of an old, almost forgotten car. The engine gets now uses a standalone ECU, which orders the engine to work much harder than it normally would. Supporting this new software are polished intake and exhaust ports, Ngk Spark plugs, Highlift camshafts and a bigger throttle body. Redlining now at 7,500 rpm, the car is able to breathe better with a custom air intake and custom free flow exhaust system. The additional power is sent to the front wheels via an aftermarket clutch from Exedy which is more apt to handle the additional boost.
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The changes do not end there, all this power is of no use unless you have grippy tyres to put it on the ground. This Esteem uses 185/70 section Yokohama tyres wrapped in a 14-inch rim. Anchorage duties are performed by Brembo rotors and brake pads. While exact power figures of this build are not available, it will definitely be much more than the 85 PS and 110 Nm this 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder unit made in its stock form. With all these changes, the owner of this Esteem claims to achieve a top speed of 200 kmph. Moreover, acceleration has improved, with 0 to 100 kmph dismissed in less than 10 seconds. So this Esteem, despite looking being old and analogue, can catch your set of modern wheels for a surprise if you cross its path.
