Hindustan Ambassador
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hindustan Ambassador | |
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| Manufacturer: | Hindustan Motors |
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| Production: | 1958– |
| Body style: | 4-door sedan |
| Platform: | FR |
| Similar: | Morris Oxford |
The Hindustan Ambassador is a model of car manufactured by Hindustan Motors of India. It has been in production since 1958 and is based on the Morris Oxford model first made by the Morris Motor Company at Cowley, Oxford in the United Kingdom.
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[edit] Origins
When Birlas wanted a new model to replace their already old Hindustan models, they scouted for the then-new Morris Oxford Series III. The car initially came with a side valve engine but was later improved to an overhead valve engine. Also the car at that point was quite an innovation with a semi-monocoque chassis, which is why it is very spacious inside.
[edit] Evolution
The Amby, as it is affectionately called, has been in continuous production since its inception, with very few changes to its frame. The first recognisable model was called Landmaster, with a curvaceous boot and a slightly sloping hood. Later a small tail fin was added on either side of the rear fenders, along with a new, dimpled hood, and the car was re-christened the Ambassador Mark I. This model is the first to bear the Ambassador name. After this, all models in this series were named Ambassador, with a suitable suffix indicating the variation. In the 1960s, it underwent a frontal facelift with a closely chequered grill and was named as the Ambassador Mark II. In 1975, another minor facelift to the same grill and a much bigger frontal facelift was turned out as the Mark III, the most popular face of the Ambassador. The Mark IV was the last of the Mark cars. Further on, it was renamed Ambassador Nova. In an attempt to increase its appeal, another version was released. Dubbed the Ambassador 1800 ISZ, this model featured a 1800cc Isuzu engine, and also had the option of bucket seats, as opposed to the earlier bench seats. Also, the entire dashboard was redesigned. Instrumentation panels were shifted from the centre of the dashboard to the right, behind the steering wheel. Seat belts became mandatory. Its most radical revision, a part of a brand revitalization kicked off in the middle of 2003, was the Avigo (a break from the Ambassador marque indicating a different marketing strategy), launched in the summer of 2004. The revitalization consisted of the Ambassador Classic of mid-2003, the Ambassador Grand of late-2003, and the aforementioned Avigo, designed by Manvindra Singh. Car enthusiasts, however see this as a desperate attempt to claw back the dwindling market share. Notable influences on the new design include the new Mini, and even the Porsche 356. However, the most overpowering influence on the front and bonnet has been that of the original Landmaster series (also based on Morris Oxford). The rear of the car has been left untouched, and this leads some to feel that the car is not really different from an Ambassador. Retro-car enthusiasts would have preferred a rounded back (without the small flares), while as a current car, the regular-look Ambassador is very good itself. The Avigo, however, has much more classic-touch internals, like a centrally mounted console (like the Mark IV models), beige coloured seats and wood-finish interiors.
Also in early 1990s, the old petrol engine was replaced in favour of an Isuzu 1.8 litre engine and became the fastest production car in India, beating Fiats, the Maruti 1000, and other Tata cars at that time.
The engines currently available are a 75 bhp petrol engine and a 50 bhp (37.3 kW) Isuzu diesel engine. The car was briefly imported to the United Kingdom in 1993 (as the Fullbore Mark 10) in a disastrous attempt to bring the Ambassador "home." The cars were retrofitted with a heater and seat belts in order to comply with European safety legislation, but only a tiny number were ever sold, and the importer went into liquidation. Despite this failure, from 2002 the Ambassador has again been available new in the UK from an importer in Wales called Merlin Garages, and has received favourable comment from the classic car media.
Despite its British origins, the Ambassador is considered the definitive Indian car. This car made by Hindustan Motors at its Uttarpara plant [1] near Kolkata (Calcutta) was once considered India's national car as it was perceived to be best suited to the harsh Indian terrain. It used to be the preferred means of conveyance of India's political leadership before they moved onto SUVs and luxury cars.
An Ambassador used to be the Prime Minister's vehicle until 2002. The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee exchanged it for a BMW limo (which has continued since).
[edit] Extended Version
Parikh Coachbuilders, Mumbai is one of the companies which makes a 2 tonne extended stretched version of the car called Ambylimo.
