The Hero Bicycle of Indian cars, the Hindustan Motors Limited Ambassador turns 50 this month. Although it was a clone of a British car, the Morris Oxford Series II, the car has a quintessentially Indian feel to it and neatly encapsulates much of post-Independence India in a single morsel.
Some of my fondest memories of India have to do with the back bench of an Ambassador, and I don’t mean like that. No, I mean 10 of us piled into my uncle’s car, driving around New Dehli, running errands on the eve of his wedding. A Maruti is too cold, too clinical, too generic a car to generate the warm fuzzy memories that an Ambassador can, and you simply cannot fit as many people into one.
… In a country where roadside mechanics abound, its simplicity is one reason why 20,000 Ambassadors are still sold each year. And it does possess an undeniable sense of dignity. Yes, the acceleration is so woeful that the speedometer may as well be replaced by a calendar before you reach the top speed of 90mph, and … the brakes prefer to be given notice in writing, but at least new Ambassadors now boast power-assisted steering, as the unassisted steering gives a turning circle of approximately 64ft.In place of air conditioning there are triangular quarter lights on the front doors; the windows are still opened via rack and pinion handles; the gear change requires brute force rather than any finesse and the occupants (all five to 10 of them) are forced to sit very upright, for the Ambassador is certainly not a car to encourage a slovenly posture. [Link]
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p>Unfortunately, the Ambassador is no longer the national car in one critical sense:
An Ambassador used to be the Prime Minister’s vehicle until 2002. The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee exchanged it for a BMW sedan (which has continued since). [Link]
Which is a shame because that is one seriously armored car. The strength of its shell saved my egg from being cracked once when our taxi was sideswiped by a bus, right where I was sitting. I was fine, the Amby was merely dented, but in any other car (short of a Volvo 2 door) I would have been in the hospital. You can soup it up to go pretty fast too. Such a shame – it would have been great to see the PM driving around in a souped up VIP Armored Amby, or even an Ambylimo 
.
With the arrival of the Maruti, Hindustan Motors saw their days as dominant player were numbered and they began to export:
… initially these went to far-flung enclaves such as The Seychelles, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Japan and Sri Lanka. It was also exported to Dubai to be used as a delivery vehicle, as they were the cheapest car available; in fact, the only cheaper transport available was a moped… [Link]
They also tried to sell the car back to the UK:
The Ambassador was supposed to appeal to nostalgic people and expatriate Indians who longed to drive their own piece of India. Despite optimistic sales forcasts, the reality was somewhat different. An average of just 6 Hindustan Ambassador GLXs per year were sold throughout the early-to-mid 1990s. The cars had a basic specification and the list price was low at £7,150, but its market was simply too tiny for exports to the UK to make any kind of financial sense. [Link]
This was the first of several valiant attempts to export the car to developed markets, including a version of the car that they heavily rebuilt in the UK, but it all went nowhere. Maybe they forgot to read their own press material:
Ambassador, the only automobile to ply Indian roads for more than five decades now, has carved a special niche for itself in the passenger car segment. It’s dependability, spaciousness and comfort factor have made it the most preferred car for generations of Indians. The Ambassador’s time-tested, tough, accommodating and practical characteristics make it a truly Indianised car. [Link]
Still, if you are in the UK, and you find you really must have one, you can get one from Merlin Garages who import the car now.
Amby Zindabad!
Related posts: All Hail the Amby
Ok, in the US there are auto mechanic shops and garages everywhere. You can get aftermarket parts easily for cars and “pimp” them. Is this possible in India? I would love to buy an ambassador and put rims on it and racing tires (althought the roads suck so I guess that is not possible) and some blue headlights.
Yes you can, the shops in Karol Bagh in Delhi can do all the pimping you may need and DC (Dilip Chabaria) in Bombay is Bombay equivalent of west coast customs.
ah, i love the amby – while my aunts and uncles and cousins moved onto more modern cars, my grandfather was a steadfast supporter of the amby – and to me, it always seemed like the more fun car. plus, i think the lack of ‘facilities’ made for a much better riding experience – no A/C meant riding through the country with the windows rolled down, and paying more attention to what was around us.
Thought I’ll link Vinod’s recent post about the Amby here.
Heh. In my younger days I used to hate Amby w/ passion. To me, this fat, ugly car represented everything foul about babu-raj.
Ardy – thanks. Oversight corrected. Shodan – you’re right of course. And even back then, one wanted a Fiat, not an Amby. I’m quite clear my fondness for this car has to do with nostalgia, as Vinod’s post on the subject makes clear the Amby’s poor handling makes it an unsafe car to drive. Still … it’s sexy and I have a lot of good memories about that car. A Maruti doesn’t mean anything to me.
melbournedesi too. Maybe the two of you should do a coffee table book together. And then put it on a coffee table in the spacious back seat of the Amby (or use it as a coffee table, if that’s more your style). Now how many luxury cars can boast of something like that?
Yes, filter of personal experience is a funny thing. It cracks me up to see hipsters zooming on their Vespas. To us DBDs it was the ultimate unclemobile (grocery thailis near handbrake). I had to throw a royal tantrum for my motorcycle. My parents and assorted uncle/aunties were quite keen on Bajaj Chetak.
Ode to an Amby:
Oh Amby dear I clashed your gear Those halcyon days of yore
Learning to steer Next to Daddy dear While pedestrains screamed “No more!”
Great Metal toad On Indian road Inching along in traffic slow
My ungainly friend It came to an end The day I drove solo !
My dad bought a Mark III Amby in 1976 for 26,000 Rupees. He sold it in 1995 for a lakh. I kid you not. Anyone know what ‘Mark #’ we’re upto now?
Question for those familiar with day to day life in India, back in the day, owning one of these things was a super luxury. Is owning a car the luxury/’status’ symbol of what it once was?
Riding the Amby on long distance road trips always made my posture better, but my bum sore…the freaking cushions dug into the metal frames underneath.
And of course with the windows down there was a nice infestation of fruit fies in my salwar kameez (I realized when I got out of the car and shook my dupatta out, so shamefully in front of people hehe)
Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are ‘far-flung’ in relation to India??
dear god did those cars suck, the worst ride ever. i still remember our driver fighting to change gears or turn the wheel to park. but the nostalga is coming back to me, and it would be sweet to cruise down lake shore drive in one now.
It still is, though the car wouldn’t be anything lesser than a BMW/ Merc – and then of course, you have the Lamborghinis and the Bentleys – not sure how many they manage to sell though.
I remember that a friend of mine used to take the family ‘bus’ as we called his amby when the new shiny Maruti was unavailable to go on a date with his girlfriend. There were 2 major problems. The amby had a defective steering so the spring return after a turn didn’t work and you had to manually go back and forth on the heavy steering in Delhi roads. Secondly, since he had not gotten to 2nd base yet in his first serious relationship, he would have a permanent ‘problem’ as you could cuddle in the couch seats as opposed to the bucket seats, while wearing heavy denim jeans. Needless to say, he used to be ‘sore for the amby soiree’!!
Anyone know if VW Bugs were popular/widely available in India, or was that position held by the Amby?
I love the Ambassador, it’s truly Indian and you can’t miss one on the road. It’s all about the back seat driver that sits on stage seating and directs the driver. I’m waiting for someone in the US to import a bunch of these so I can pimp one out. Heres a link to my passion for these cars… http://cbaz.com/womens_ambassador.html http://cbaz.com/mens_ambassador.html
hi all – does anyone know of a second hand amby dealer in delhi – karol bagh? I’m looking to buy one in a few weeks… cheers
Ambassador will remain as a metal Horse in the hearts of many Indians… There is no other car as good as Amby… Still we can see 1960’s Model Ambys roaming in the city with gr8 modifications.. Its an evergreen car most reliable economical & what not.. Really thank u HM for building such a marvellous car.. Still there r families owning an Amby more than 40 yrs.. He is like our family member.. If u are for it, then its for u..:-)