[::CMS::]

To some, cars are just cars but to some, its a part of their life, they have good passion and enthu for cars (passion doesnt mean or end with just passion, passion means they take care of the car by themselves and try to know the car as much as possible and hence they will be able to immediately pick up if there is any unusual behavior, but that needs a lot of effort and love for that car) Spending money to buy something can be done by anybody, but loving it and considering it as a member of your family and making its in and out represents you, its not a cup of coffee for everyone. My dad used to have a KRR regd grey petrol amby during the 80's-90's and I grew up by seeing my dad's passion for that car which triggered my passion for cars too. He was able to get hold the full service manual after a lot of struggle and do the routine maintenance by himself and he included me too as an assistant. Also, I still remember forcing or fighting with my dad to do some cosmetic mods esp interior during my teenage days due to my false fantasies of a modern car esp the custom made "modern look" dashboard and other mods, which I regret now since I am able to appreciate the beauty of the stock console. Only this comes to mind on seeing the amby hate messages like engineering disaster.

Now a days when a new car comes, people to do a set of pre-road addons like underbody coating / paint protection and what not, thinking that they are lifetime protected and dont even care to check the basic things in maintenance and curse the machine on a major work. I believe even a high end car which doesnt maintain well will be a disaster to drive (if the driver knows what a machine is and enjoys driving) esp a diesel turbo engines. I still remember applying the underbody coating ourselves (brush painting) on a diy ramp and the "detailing" is not a new concept to us, we used to play with compounds / wax to keep the paint protected and the wet shining due to that was an addon to us.

Yes, it had stopped in the traffic twice or thrice in its entire 14 or 15 years of our ownership, but never had any major issues even on any long highway runs. Even if there is any major work or the usual maintenance it can never be expensive as maintaining an 800. Also finding a mechanic in case of a repair is not even a task its simple and straight forward design without any complication, every mechanic knows its in and out. Considering the security aspect being highlighted, its far better than some of the modern tin cans on the road. During the amby time nobody was thinking about a phrase "built like a tank", since all cars were build like a tank, yes it will definitely fail some of the modern crash tests but not like some of the modern cars in the market. So to me even the current highly engineered / modern vehicles will be bullock carts after 20 years, but I dont think any enthusiasts will consider them an engineering disaster.

[itwasntme]

Interesting to see the extreme views here :-). I personally have very fond memories.

I grew up in Calcutta and had a succession of Ambassadors with personal memories of the petrol Mark III, IV and the 1800 ISZ. They were all company cars, immaculately maintained and rivalled the many Indian Army Ambassadors in spit and polish.

Trust me, they were a very very far cry from the diesel slugs that normal taxi-users are accustomed to!

[W.A.G.7]

Nice find! They are still selling the Ambassador?!! I thought they had packed up a long time ago. And are Amby's still sold in white colour only? It's been ages since I spotted a different colour Ambassador car. Honestly, this car is a piece of history now. They should really really stop selling the car, no matter how good or bad it is; and replace it with some new modern car!

[girimajiananth]

Agreed that the old Amby is no match for a modern day German or Japanese sedan . But that was the car which ferried everyone from a common man to the president of India for decades. Sad that our very own people are letting it down.

It was a cheap ,affordable car and there was nothing to hide about it. The manufactures did not update it periodically and hence it failed.


PS: Anyone remembers the old amby ad . "The only car that could reach kargil".

[Joe M]

I'm not the right person to write authentic comments about the Amby because I haven't had one yet. But from numerous experiences of travelling in it, I've liked the back seat's sofa-like comfort, with all those coil springs and heavy sponge-work. Not many cars in its range offer that feeling yet.

I have seen its handling is poor when speeding. Once I saw my neighbour speeding his Amby at a corner, and I thought he'd end up in the nearby field(but he managed to control it, somehow).

Agree that it's not as technically advanced as any other car in the market - blame it on Hindustan motors that they didn't update the car for so many years. It's not going to give any competition to the modern cars in the near future either. Neither do I see any point in manufacturing it for long. But it's a classic, and we love classics not just for their features or dynamics or modernity!.

[naturaldisaster]

its a nice car. but people are starting to get more practical and less emotional in their purchase decisions. having said this. there is still a long way to go. and HM guys better do something to revive these old vehicles to ensure survival. the guys who would buy the Amby just because of the warm feeling in their hearts will take one look at the beat diesel and be convinced. such is the shift in the playing field. survival of the fittest.

[lapis_lazuli]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

built an un-removable tombstone over it.

What does the inscribed epitaph read...I wonder!

Something in the lines of:

"Here lies the ambassador of extreme contrast: the white chariot of the corrupt and the yellow black carrier of the junta" or whatever makes it more melodramatic or gross sounding.

Nuff said, we owned one, never let us down.

Been to HM factory long back, on a day visit: the workers, not the "manjer babus" seemed VERY emotionally attached with the car. In 2001 it was still rolling out a few a day.

A company senior "manjer" statement, I still remember, after a FANUC CNC had broken down that very day, in front of me: "Bancha gechhey, Cholo aj taratari beriye jaabo" (Good, will leave early today that the darned machine has failed). He actually did, but I observed these 3-4 workers trying with all their might to remove the jammed "something" from the machine even after their "manjer" had left! No doubt it needs ribbons to keep itself intact!

OT : There were these stalls (jhopdis) selling butter toast with sprinkled sugar/black pepper just outside the gates, beside the cycle stands and just adjacent to the rail lines. Typical "chai dukaans" with a shed. It used to taste heavenly, for some reason. I could never replicate the same when I tried at home. Was it the "plain" bread? Was it the way the stall owners toasted it on open fire? I don't know: is as unique as the car itself! And they used to sell in HUGE quantities...sorry but I could not help but share the "toasted" memories!

[Thad E Ginathom]

If memories were enough to recommend a car, then the younger half of UK would be driving Ford Anglias, and the older half Ford Prefects.

[VinodDevil81]

Though the car may have all those disadvantages as discussed in the previous posts, I think calling it a "disgrace" is a bit harsh. I am sure this car would be associated with nostalgic memories to majority of Indians born before the 1990s. Amby & Padmini were the only cars then, and in those days only this shape meant a proper car to us, and a Maruti 800 looked weird in those days. No air-bags, no seat-belts, no ABS..but still I remember how safe I felt whenever I travelled in one of those amby's in those days.Times have changed, but sadly the Amby never changed. As someone posted above, it is a case similar to Royal Enfield. But there is one difference. HM has never tried to fleece the customers by quoting astronomical prices for its ancient machinery, just by milking the cult-status image of the brand, like what RE has been doing all these years. Or may be HM was too lazy to do even that? Anyway,RE motto is just that. If you can't manage to produce modern efficient engines, promote your models as classic & cult-status machines, add some retro-bits here and there, put a disc brake and self-start and then sell it as a modern classic for 1.3 lakhs! I remember 10 years back, when I bought a pulsar it was aroung 65k then, and at that time I had enquired Electra's price too.It was just 68k for electra then. Look where the prices stand now. Pulsar price has not gone up by more than 10k within 10 years, but electra's price almost became double! I hope that HM learns a lesson or two from the RE guys on how to market old machinery.

[jeeva]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

Enthusiasts would probably get a better car than the Amby, how is the Amby an enthusiasts' choice? Being better than a Ford for reliability is hardly a benchmark. The last time you had an Amby was 6 years ago, thankfully for us it is nearly a decade now, never been so glad to let something go. All machines require preventitive maintenance, its the magnitude that bothers me. Coolant levels and oil levels are quite stable these days, a leak or oil burn(TSI engines) being rare exceptions.

So, you are the self appointed authority to decide who is an enthusiast and what car he drives. In that case, the members who actively post in these 5 star rated threads and a bunch of others are what? Some are mods and D-Bhpians as well!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-w...allery-63.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...-progress.html


The rest, I give it a miss, you are contradicting yourself.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
The amby is old in every aspect one can point out. It's not even close to any of the modern cars today. Perhaps, the words "disgrace-junk" is what stirs up emotions for ones who grew up with them around.

[master uio]

Our Grandparents became Slower and Older. So have our parents - We DO NOT Disrespect our Ancestors. The Ambassador is a Great Car - Many Britishers, Dutch and Japanese have take this Car back Home to study its Enigma. The Britishers are understandable because of the Ambassador having its birth from the Morris Oxford of Britain.
I have driven, been driven for the past 43 years through the length and breadth of India. I Learnt Driving around 33 years ago (50 % Premier Padmini + 50% Ambassador). The Design of the Car is Timeless - Given the condition of Rural Roads in India (I know the Tata Sumo, Innova etc., have taken over even that function) - The Isuzu engined 2000 DSZ is a Great Car - NO COMPARISON TO MODERN Handling, Maintainence, Features etc. However the car gives 12-14 KMPL in the City and close to 18-20 on the Highway. I own a MB 300D 1983 and it is easily counted amongst the Best Cars on Earth regardless of peoples Opinion. I have had a Ambassador 2000 DSZ keep on my Tail on an winding Hilly Road at Night. I was doing 90-120 all the Way on Stretches that were Straight. The Disc Brakes are Good on the Car and the A.C is Great. I would strongly advocate better respect for this Car - I have driven the Original LANDMASTER (Made in England) and the Homemade Ambys with Matador, BMC, Isuzu, Peugeot 2.0 Liter Engine put in the Cars.The Car in all its guises made me Smile always. I have currently (or in the past) have had a Premier Padmini 1982, a 118 NE 1997, Fiat Linea 2009, MB W123 300D 1983, Maruti Swift VDI-2007, Maruti Wagon R (Old 2000 and New 2012), Nissan Sentra 1987, Honda Accord 1992, Toyota Corolla 1996, MM550 2004, Maruti Zen, Renault Logan 2010, Hyundai Santro 2006, Honda Accord 2.4-2009, Maruti 800 2008 in my Stables. In addition I have driven 300 different Car Models across the World including the Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 GT, Porsche 911/Boxster, MB S350 CDI 2012, BMW 760 LD 2012, MB GL 320 CDI, Mitsubishi Pajero 2013, Jaguar XFS Diesel, Skoda Octavia RS 2003-2004. The Ambassador is a "Great Design for its Time" - With appropriate updates it can serve people who still love it. I DO AGREE UNCONDITIONALLY THAT IT HAS BEEN BUILT MORE CHEAPLY THAN EVER at the Uttarpara plant by HM. Yes it Sqeals, Rattles even today. That withstanding the Car if it can be assembled with proper updates is still a GREAT CAR.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by jeeva

So, you are the self appointed authority to decide who is an enthusiast and what car he drives. In that case, the members who actively post in these 5 star rated threads and a bunch of others are what? Some are mods and D-Bhpians as well!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-w...allery-63.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...-progress.html


The rest, I give it a miss, you are contradicting yourself.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
The amby is old in every aspect one can point out. It's not even close to any of the modern cars today. Perhaps, the words "disgrace-junk" is what stirs up emotions for ones who grew up with them around.

It was a question, I am sure you saw the question mark. Nowhere did I appoint myself an authority on anything. The rest of your post just repeats what I said in my first post, that is my problem with the car.

[rahul4640]

This picture is of a government owned car, taken on 05/09/2013 by my good friend Sri Bappaditya Pal, who is himself a senior bureaucrat. I think most of the government officials are fond of white Ambassador cars and he is no exception. He has sent me this picture, as he shares my love for these great cars.

This car has run over 250000 Miles (not KM), still used five days a week and possibly still running on stock engine. The driver of the car informed that there was no plan to scrap this car and seek a replacement, so far he was aware of. And he also said that this car does not need much maintenance either.
Regards,
Rahul Biswas

[mi2n]

Originally Posted by G_AmbyMad

A disgrace?

PS... I'd hate to see what would happen if my disgrace backed into your pretty wheels (by mistake, of course. Probably weak brakes and wot-not)

^
And this is exactly why I cringe every time I see a new Ambassador (especially in its yellow avatar) on the road. The OE fibre bumpers does seemingly fall off in a day or two only to be replaced by 50 kilograms of chrom-ified metal from Mullickbazar. Then the cabwallahs and the pilots of red beaconed babus would make merry at every opportunity at the expense of lowly cars with plastic bumpers and wafer thin sheet metals.

My first serious tryst with automobiles was with our 1995 Ambassador Nova. I learnt to drive in it and I remember most of the 2.3 lac kilometres of fun spent in it. Yes, the ODO had rolled over twice before it was finally sold off in 2003. I do not recall being stranded although the minor electricals ( the few bits that were there) would always go haywire. Like replacing parking/indicator bulbs on a monthly basis, horns and especially the horn buttons on the steering would give away regularly, gas pedal/ throttle cables snapping (always kept a dozen extra). Oh! yes, just recalled about a clutch failure(pedal wouldn't come back up). It was fixed by a roadside mechanic in an hour!
The 2003 Amby that followed was a degraded car and I never came to like it. Maybe, it was just because it was bought at the expense of my friend of fun years or maybe just because I despise that plastic dashboard it came with.

[saion666]

I still remember the very confident ad by HM in The Telegraph in the early years of the millennium, it read 'if we change the ambassador,it will no longer be The Ambassador'.

There are people who swears by this car. The look on my father's face when he sits in my A-star after travelling in his office ambassador for 30 years , the constant comparison of every other car's rear space to this age old 'sofa on wheels' and the very fact Kolkata streets would never be complete without the yellow amby cabs stands as a testimony to this vehicle that put India on wheels.

Yes, they didnt change with time but then I would like to remember the car as it is instead of some fluidic lines thrown in with some gory piece of chrome.