It probably goes without saying that Timeless Mahindra is the largest and most detailed book about the Mahindra Jeeps built in India from 1954 to the present, since it's the only book on the subject. But what is surprising is that this 2020 volume is also probably the largest and most detailed book ever published on Jeeps of any type: it's 12x12 inches (300x300mm) in size, weighing 5.5 pounds (2.6 kg), with 332 pages and 700 illustrations.
The entertaining and informative text is written in a distinctively Indian voice by veteran automobile journalist Adil Jal Darukhanawala. But even before reading a word, CJ-3B fans will be unable to stop leafing through page after page of photos of the many 3B variations built by Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. The book covers them in detail, as well as earlier flatfenders assembled for Willys, Forward Control trucks, round-fender models starting in the 1980s, and SUVs in the 2000s including the 2020 Thar seen on the cover.
There are chapters filled with archival images of Jeeps in use by the Indian Army, and the early and later history of the company. Also chapters stocked with huge color photos of Jeeps competing in rallies, the development and engineering of recent Mahindra models, and Jeep collectors in India with their beautiful fleets.
See the table of contents (150K JPEG).
A fun chapter is called "Larger Than Life: Jeeps on the Silver Screen." Like the Bollywood films seen in The CJ-3B in the Movies on CJ3B.info, it reveals how central Mahindra Jeeps are in Indian popular culture.
Eighty pages of Timeless Mahindra plus a four-page foldout (below) are devoted to detailed drawings of over forty models produced by Mahindra & Mahindra, from the Willys CJ-3A to the new 2020 Thar. The drawings are by Hubert Cossard, some of whose illustrations are also found on CJ3B.info, including the Kaiser-Willys Jeep Family Tree. (Hubert's own website Jeep f@mily features hundreds more drawings of Jeep models from around the world.) It's great to have the high-quality reproductions of Hubert's work found in this book.
Timeless Mahindra is not inexpensive, but in fact for a book of this size, depth and visual luxury, it's a bargain. It now seems to be out of print, but you might find it for sale online for about US$110. -- Derek Redmond
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