KOCHI: Vintage love is one trend that has refused to fade away as yet another fad. It continues to flourish. Cutting across age-groups an increasing number of people are lapping anything retro – in fashion, horology and, of course, automotives.
Separation, at times, works magic on relations. And we have seen that with the likes of baggy denim, oversized shades, HMT watches, Royal Enfield, Yezdi-Jawa, Maruti Gypsy... even the good-old goli soda.
The Ambassador is yet another classic example. It’s been 10 years since the last Amby rolled out of Hindustan Motors’ legendary Uttarpara plant in Kolkata.
Ever since the iconic brand was wound up in May 2014, sepia-tinted nostalgia – running all the way back to its origins in 1958 – has been unspooling via social media and cornershop chats alike. Everyone has a warm Amby anecdote to share.
In 2017, Hindustan Motors sold the rights of the Ambassador to French carmaker Peugeot SA for a reported sum of Rs 80 crore. There on, not a year has passed without rumours of the Amby making a grand comeback in India.
Now, yet again, there is a buzz about its re-entry, this time as a flamboyant EV avatar. “The new Ambassador will be built in a joint venture of Hind Motor Financial Corporation of India (a subsidiary of Hindustan Motors) and the French carmaker, Peugeot,” reports the automotive website MotorOctane.
“The Ambassador as a product was known for its comfort and ride quality. Peugeot and Hindustan Motors will look to replicate these qualities in the new Ambassador as well. Peugeot will look to bring modern features to the Ambassador giving it a modern look. Reportedly, the mechanical bits of the engine are already in quite advanced stages of development.”
This has got car enthusiasts, and Amby fans in particular, excited. For automobile enthusiast Prakash G R, an avid member of the ‘Ambassador Car Fans Kerala’ Facebook group, the mention of the vintage icon takes him back to his childhood. It ferried him to and from school. It was also the one in which he learnt to drive.
“The model then had the gear lever mounted near the steering. The headlight dipper switch used to be foot-operated, positioned near the clutch pedal. A horn ring was set within the steering wheel,” Prakash gushes.
“The side-set platform gear came probably in the Mark 3 model. Seats were changed to the bucket version. Dipper switch came as a knob, and the horn moved to the centre of the steering.”
Rishabh Zakaria, another vintage car enthusiast, says the Ambassador represented the “changing face of India” over the past five decades. “The Ambassador came to India first as the ‘Hindustan Landmaster’, its first iteration. It was modelled on the British Morris Oxford Series III car,” he notes.
At entry, the car had a 1.5-litre engine that churned out 35bhp. Quite formidable for the era then. “Possessing it was considered a status symbol,” says Risabh.
“Learning to drive the Ambassador meant one could weather any automobile storm. One needed to be ambidextrous… the rhythmic use of all limbs. Gears would be shifted with the gusto of someone pumped up on protein powder. The machine was a beast. New-age machines are like mere toys in front of the Amby.”
Another Amby lover Manasvi Sadasivan quips that the car could fit in over a dozen people. “My father drove one. The boot space could hold an entire house. There was a triangular air vent on the front door. That used to be my fascination as a kid when we drove from Mumbai to Kerala during vacations,” she laughs.
After dominating the car market till the early ’80s, the Ambassador went through several updates to take on Maruti Suzuki. In 1996, the Indian market opened up to more foreign brands. It was game over for the Amby.
“Despite the upgrades, the Ambassador did not match up to the market challenges. The Indian market till then was ruled by these two icons--Ambassador and Maruti. We had to book prior and had a waiting period. All these changed with the entry of more players. Ambassador did try variants with an Isuzu engine and a new plastic bumper, but all that did not click,” says Prabhu S Kumar, an IT professional working at Technopark, who bought an Ambassador in 2016, well after the plant shut shop only because of his “love for the ‘icon”.
“I wanted it to be my first car. And I will cherish it forever.”
Hallmarks of the Ambassador such as its boxy shape and round headlights can work wonders now, he adds. “It has a unique retro charm,” he says. “The latest news about Ambassador returning as an EV, if true, is a welcome one. But for the car to click it has to be positioned in the premium category, taking the trajectory of an Enfield or Mini Cooper.
“The Royal Enfield went through a low phase, but made a grand comeback, keeping the aesthetics and the tradition intact. The marketing was in the premium category for petrolheads who would be proud to own a vintage brand with a modern twist. The Ambassador should be relaunched with SUV characteristics. It should enter with the offer of insane power, thrill of smooth driving, with the elegance of heritage and nostalgia. Such a transformation will click.”
Well, this love seems to be vrooming ahead. Fuelled by separation.
1957: The Ambassador, based on the Morris Oxford series III, is launched in India by Hindustan Motors, modelled after the British Morris Oxford.
1960s-1970s : The Ambassador becomes the preferred car for government officials, politicians, and taxi operators
1980s: After enjoying peak popularity as the ‘King of Indian Roads’, Ambassador faces challenge from Maruti Suzuki
1996: Markets open up, more foreign players enter fray.
2014: With sales dwindling, Hindustan Motors winds up the Ambassador brand
2017: Hindustan Motors sells brand rights to Peugeot S.A. group for Rs 80 crore
2024: Buzz about Ambassador relaunch resurfaces