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An Account of the Indian Ambassador

The Hindustan Motors Ambassador is the only Indian car that has been ruling the Indian roads for over six decades now. Fondly called with nick names like that of Amby, His-Majesty Ambassador as it has a HM prefixed to its name, this majestic looking, battle- tank like built car is known has served loyally to the people of India for quite some time now. Since its inception in 1948, it has carved a special niche for itself in the passenger car segment. The Ambassador comes from the trusted hands of the Hindustan Motors of India. This car has been based on the Morris Oxford model, first made by the Morris Motor Company at Cowley, Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Hindustan Motors Limited was established by Mr. B.M. Birla in 1942 as a small assembly plant in Port Okha in Gujarat. In 1948, Hindustan Motors was shifted from Port Okha to Uttarpara in West Bengal's Hooghly district to strengthen its manufacturing capacity in the automobile segment.

The old Morris Oxford model of the Ambassador was replaced by the Morris Oxford Series II, three years after it debuted in 1954, and was named as the Hindustan Landmaster. This new car came with a side valve engine but was later improved with an overhead valve engine. Besides, the car came with a fully enclosed monocoque chassis, giving ample amount of space in the interiors. In 1957, all the tooling of the British Morris Oxford Series III was transferred to India and the new model of the car was renamed the Ambassador and series-production started in 1958.

This car has been in continuous production since its appearance, with very few changes to its frame. The Ambassador was based on the Morris Oxford series III that included deep headlamp cowls and small rear wing "tail fins". The dashboard and steering wheel were completely redesigned. The Landmaster's flat-plane two spoke steering wheel gave way to a stylish dished steering wheel with three spokes made-up of four wires per spoke, for the Ambassador.

In the 1960s, the Ambassador underwent a minor frontal facelift with a closely chequered grill and was named as the Ambassador Mark II. Alike other British designed Mark cars, there was never really any Ambassador Mark I; with the arrival of the Mark II, people started calling the older model Mark I. Mark III ushered in 1975 with the same grille but a much bigger frontal facelift. It is the most popular face of the Ambassador. The Mark era ended with the Mark IV, which was renamed Ambassador Nova later on.

In an attempt to increase its appeal, a new version was released as the Ambassador 1800 ISZ in 1990. This model featured an 1800 cc Isuzu engine and also had the option of bucket seats, as opposed to the old bench seats. The entire dashboard was redesigned as well. Instrumentation panels were shifted from the centre of the dashboard to the right, behind the steering wheel and seat belts were brought in. The Ambassador 1800 ISZ became the best seller during that time beating cars from Fiat and Maruti.

The Classic and the Grand models were introduced consecutively in 2003, but it's most radical revision was the Avigo that was launched in 2004. Later, Indian car designer Dilip Chhabria created a customised version of the Grand Ambassador and named it as Ambierod. Though this car is not manufactured by Hindustan Motors, it won great accolades world wide.

Ambassador was imported to the United Kingdom in 1993 as the Fullbore Mark 10. It was altered to comply with European safety legislation with a heater and seat belts. But the car could not survive in its native land and the importer went into liquidation. Despite this failure, the Ambassador has again been introduced in the UK in 2002 by an importer in Wales called Merlin Garages, and since then the Ambassador has been receiving favourable comment from the classic car media.

The Hindustan Ambassador is equipped with independent suspension, with torsion bar springs and anti roll bar, with hydraulic telescopic double acting shock absorbers, at the front. The semi-elliptical leaf springs, with hydraulic telescopic double acting shock absorbers in the rear end, work in combination to absorb the bumps and potholes on uneven Indian roads.

This car features a distinctive design, with smooth lines flowing from the front to the rear end. The design of the hatchback represents old world elegance. Its muscular stance is complemented by its round halogen headlamps and simple-looking taillights cluster. Ambassador comes with the seating capacity for five people and offers a comfortable ride to its occupants.

The Ambassador is considered to be the definitive Indian car, which has been undergoing a series of changes, adapting to customer expectations. It was once the most popular car in India as it was perceived to be best suited to the harsh Indian terrain. Its iconic status was helped by the fact that it was the preferred means of conveyance of India's political leadership, including the Prime Minister of India, before they moved on to other luxury cars and SUVs . However, some prominent Indian politicians, such as Sonia Gandhi, continue with their preference for Hindustan Ambassador. The Ambassador's time-tested, tough, accommodating and practical characteristics make it a truly Indianised car.