[Napo]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Was just browsing through HM Ambassador on the net so found a PPT file that describes the Ambassador along its stages.
Anurag.

Will add one more to the list. The Ambassador Porter. I have seen the passenger carrier Porter before , but haven't noticed any luggage carrier version on the road. I found the model name a little weird though!

[mashmash]

Finally. This was long over due. However, I wish the brand Ambassador lives on in another modern shape.

HM should try to resurrect the Contessa. Love the lines of that car. Plonk in a new engine, transmission and a dashboard and there would be buyers. What Say?

MaSh

[redracham]

How about a compact SUV or a compact commercial vehicle on the same platform?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by mashmash

Finally. This was long over due. However, I wish the brand Ambassador lives on in another modern shape.

No, it is better it phases out in pave and respect. If HM try dragging that car more the car will loose its value and just get even longer in the tooth. Better late than never.

Originally Posted by mashmash

HM should try to resurrect the Contessa. Love the lines of that car. Plonk in a new engine, transmission and a dashboard and there would be buyers.

With you on this! One heck of a car, India's muscle car. They should retain the shape but modernise it to meet safety and emission norms.

Anurag.

[mi2n]

The Ambassadors rolling out from the Uttarpara facility over the last half a decade were a disgrace to the legacy, the labour unrest and indiscipline and lack of will of the management was clearly evident in each of the metal contraption rolling out of the facility in the last five years or so. Dismal fit and finish, glaring negligence and apathy were rampantly prominent and it is hard to find an Amby whose exteriors and especially interior trims were holding up for even a couple of months. From this perspective, I am somewhat fine with the fact of discontinuance of work at the Uttarpara facility.
I am also bit relieved at the thought of having to deal with less Ambys bullying on the road with their misaligned, rusty metal bumpers. City driving would be much easier without the rusty Ambassadors and Sumo/Boleros with Bull Guards around for us lowly hatchback owners.
Having had no less than 3 Ambys at home from time to time, I do have lots of fond memories of the car to share. But I can't fathom of ever having considered the Amby as aspirational. Amby was not the car of choice, it was rather thrust upon me. I always fancied the Zens and the M1000s and later on developed a fetish for the Daewoo Matiz. I did clock over a lakh kilometer myself on our 1995 Ambassador Nova Diesel. This car was strangely very responsive and snappier than its siblings. It held up quite well too till it was sold at around 3 lakh kms on the ODO. Our last tryst with the Amby was with a 2002 HM+ 1500 Diesel which was much inferior than our 1995 Nova in all aspects, I am sure the rot has deeply set in by now and any effort at revival of the plant would be futile.
I do share serious concerns about the 2500 workers and their families and hope that the Birlas and/or the Government provide suitable alternatives for them at the earliest.

[rsidd]

For nostalgia freaks, here's a picture from Wiki of a mint-condition Morris Oxford III. Picture uploaded in 2007, not clear when it was taken.


[edit] and one more of the same car from here, with lots more Morris Oxfords of various sorts on that page

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Napo

Will add one more to the list. The Ambassador Porter. I have seen the passenger carrier Porter before , but haven't noticed any luggage carrier version on the road. I found the model name a little weird though!

They actually tried to relaunch this contraption in 2011! Yes, in 2-0-1-1.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ched-veer.html

[Iksvaku]

It is nice to see so many people commenting on a car that has vanished from the consciousness of most Indians.

I agree with those who have said that the problem lies in with the promoters of the company. The Birlas (of Hindustan Motors) and the Doshis (of Premier Automobiles) functioned with the seller's mentality of the pre-liberalisation era. They did not respect the customer and offered sub-standard products at exorbitant prices (for the value offered).

There can be no significant revival of the Ambassador name plate unless a new promoter buys the company, with the focus of creating a completely new, modern car, keeping the DNA of the older car, as has been done with the Beetle and the Mini. Dilip Chhabria would be an obvious choice, as his reputation will generate the investment required, should he accept the challenge.

Moreover, a heritage car will not sell in modern India unless it is priced at the A3 level, at less than 6 lakh rupees. At this price point, if the car is quirky yet contemporary in design, mechanicals and electronics, it can compete on higher space quotient. The other option of going for the high end will not generate enough sales to make the project viable unless there is a stated intent of exporting 85% of the production.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

I am curious to know what Rudra-da (one of the moderators here who spent a mini fortune on restoring an old Amby) thinks about this latest development :-)

The Ambassador in its present form and given all the manufacturing ills that even new cars used to come out with, is dying a death that was long over due. About 30 years, I would reckon. However, I think it is the death of the Uttarpara factory rather than the death of the company or the brand. I am sure once they manage to get rid of the old factory and its unfortunate workers, they will go for some boutique production of the car for a very niche heritage market.

Even Calcutta taxi operators don't buy Ambassadors any more.

[poulo]

As someone who has had a history of having many ambassadors in the family i would like to share a few thoughts here. The Amby has been an impeccable ally for us. I myself has seen 4 Amby's over the years, each crossing 2 lakh kilometres on the odo. One of them was even stolen and we managed to recover just the engine after a long one year when the police picked up another stolen car. The thieves had switched the engines. Late in the early 80"s my grandfather picked up a freshly baked amby from the HM plant in Bengal and drove it down all the way to kerala as there was a long booking period in Kerala. I feel it is more of how we maintain the cars. We had minimal level of issues throughout the entire lifespan of all our cars. And yes the back seat comfort was the best till date that i have experienced. So the amby has lot of memories for me. Sad that they couldnt change according to times and keep it more relevant.

[RGK]

Ambassdor was an icon till 90's... I am one of the admirers of this car. Some positives about the great amby....

• Enormous space
• Accomodated 7 adults including the driver.
• Comfortable ride with better leg room
• Became popular after engine alterations (especially when Diesel Matador 205 was fitted)
• Cheaper spare costs and availability
• No rocket science technology - all mechanics and even drivers diagnosed the issues
• Well built and sturdy
• Ambassdors were completely altered (body and engine) according to customers taste in places like Coimbatore, Erode during 80s and 90s..

I thought HM would incorporate the latest technologies into Amby to improve its quality and reliability, but failed.

Have driven a lot and did not own a one. Now I travel in Ambassadors operated as Airport Pre Paid taxis here. Heard that they are going to be replaced by Swift Dzire's.

[SandyX]

Amby will never die to many of us, however few. Nothing more to say.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by SandyX

Amby will never die to many of us, however few. Nothing more to say.

It will live in our hearts. I learnt to drive in an Amby (1969) and my first car was a Hindustan 14, its predecessor!

[bonnyhere]

RIP dear Amby! I learned to drive in our first car which was an Amby, which my dad kept for more than 15 years because of his love for the car. The back seat comfort and the bulletproof reliability of the Amby is still something I crave for today.

[anjan_c2007]

The W.B. government is showing some interest by engaging the concerned parties in talks with the view to reopen the Uttarpara plant.
Let us hope something concrete emerges.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...cle6050757.ece

But the Labour Minister of W.B. is not so optimistic about the plant opening so soon:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/35723705.cms

The town Uttarpara's economic well-being once depended on HM. It was a town bubbling with lots of economic activities in many spheres. It has lately become a ghost town, due to the fall and near destruction of HM due to whatever reasons.