A Tribute To The Hindustan Ambassador - The Journey Ends

Sumeet had read in the newspaper earlier in the day that Hindustan Motors had just produced their last Ambassador, and it had made him sad. Not because he foresaw spare parts becoming a problem, he knew those would be around for a long time to come, but because it would now only be a matter of time till Ambassadors were phased out as taxis as well. With these things playing on his mind, Sumeet collected his fare from his last passenger and began the 45-minute drive home.

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Scalino

Sumeet's wife, Meena, was out of town visiting her mother, so dinner wasn't ready like it usually was. He opened his takeaway parcel of rice, dal and pappadams and sat down on the simple sofa in front of the small television. After the news was done, Sumeet was flicking through channels when he came across a channel with an unusual apple of the camera's eye, an Ambassador. Hello, what's this?

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Henry

Turned out it was some sort of tribute show to the car, and Sumeet smiled inside. There were few bigger fans of the Amby than him, and his twenty-three years with the car had made him an expert of sorts. He remembered how he struggled to purchase his taxi all those years ago from his then employer, as he was determined to earn his living independently. Tough times then. Tough times ahead. Sumeet took a sip from the water jug and turned the volume up.

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Greg O'Bierne

A baritone voice narrated, "If there ever was a car that deserved Grand Old Lady status, it would have to be the Hindustan Ambassador. Until some years ago, the Amby was the chief means of transport for the country, whether it was your average middle class family or the top brass of government. However, since the design was age-old and conceptualised way back in the 1950s, the car has finally been driven to extinction by its modern counterparts. Production of the iconic car has ended after 56 long years."

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Poco a poco

"Hm. Might actually be worth a watch, this," thought Sumeet to himself.

"While Hindustan Motors may claim that the car evolved through its lifespan, the fact remains that the Ambassador remained largely unchanged from the 1950s, save a couple of engine transplants and minor bodywork alerations. But despite the fact that the basic silhouette of the car stayed the same, it was India's best selling car at one time, with production at the Uttarapura facility in West Bengal at full tilt. Interestingly, in 1800 ISZ guise, the good ol' Amby was also the country's fastest automobile. Fancy that!"

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Tatiraju.rishabh

Sumeet knew this was true. He remembered lusting after that 1800 ISZ engine after he drove an Amby so-fitted, and recalled its stellar performance. There was no chance he could afford to fit it into his taxi though, since it was a petrol engine and guzzled fuel like no one's business. His present 180,000-odd-kilometre-down diesel engine gave him about ten to the litre.

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Toastwife

The narrator continued, "The first Ambassadors featured a side-valve engine that produced a little over 35 bhp, while the last cars could be had with a 2000cc diesel engine or a 1800cc petrol unit that produced 56 PS and 75 PS respectively. Both these engines were available as CNG units as well. The latest Ambassador Avigos were quite luxurious too, featuring bucket seats, power steering and a factory-installed air conditioner."

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Ask27

Nothing about the origins of the Amby, Sumeet mused. He knew Ambassadors were based on Britain's Morris Oxford III, while the previous-generation Landmasters were tooled from the Morris Oxford II. Sumeet remembered how he preferred the characteristic downward curved rear boot line of the Landmaster to the finned boots of the next-generation Mark I Ambassadors. His love for the Landmaster, however, was overshadowed by his hate for the newer Avigo; he felt the modern styling attempts had detracted from the retro soul of the Ambassador.

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Calflier001

A detergent commercial came on air, and Sumeet got up to get his beedis. Lighting up one and drawing deeply, he sank back into the small sofa.

The special crackled on again. "However, the biggest selling points of the Amby were its spaciousness, rear seat comfort and great ride quality. Even the myriad of luxury automobiles now available in India had to try very hard to emulate the Ambassador's comfort - this made the car a hugely popular choice with fleet operators. In fact, most taxis in Kolkata today are still Ambassadors, and it seems it will remain that way for some time to come." Sumeet smiled, but not without his worries swimming around in the back of his head.

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Frederik_rowing

The show was now drawing to an end, and the narrator solemnly concluded, "Most of this generation would have driven or at least been driven in an Ambassador at some point in their lives. Which is why it is sad to see fewer and fewer Ambys around, no doubt these relics of cars are now woefully outdated and there are much better modern cars available for less money. We all knew the end was coming, but we also know that the glorious Ambassador will live on in our memories for a long time to come."

Sumeet turned off the television and smoked his last beedi of the day, wondering how taxi drivers like him would manage in an Amby-less future. "We'll get by", he consoled himself, "We always do..."

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Lavannya