The major task was to change the fluids, greasing and some minor repairs.

BHPian arun1101 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Servicing the 64 years old Ambassador!

Its 4 years since the Ambassador came home. The Ambassador has been a great runner all through its life as it was never hibernated and now it was time for some maintenance activities. Repairing classic cars means we would need our exclusive time, money along with mechanic's and spare's availability.

The major task was to change the fluids, greasing and some minor repairs. I checked the Team Bhp threads and consulted Bhpian anjan_c2007 for the fluids specification and bought the required Oils along with Oil filter and some minor spares. Drove the Ambassador to our trusted Mani's garage. The work started off quickly.

Engine oil, Gearbox and differential oil, oil filter.

Mani draining the old engine oil.

Ambassador being jacked up for the remaining engine oil to drain out.

Old oil filter.

Oil filter's casing.

Filling the new engine oil!

Draining the old gearbox oil.

Accessing the gearbox to fill the oil.

Filling the gearbox oil.

Rear differential oil.

Draining the old differential oil.

Filling the new differential oil.

Now it was time for the minor repairs. Mani here is fixing the silencer's clamps.

Continue reading BHPian arun1101's update on his Ambassador for more insights and information.

The ownership experience has been a smooth one so far. While the car is ageing well, mechanically, the car is running quite well.

BHPian arun1100 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

63 Years of the Hindustan Ambassador!!

The Amby came home in Feb 2020 and it's exactly 3.5 years of owning this heritage car! The ownership experience has been a smooth one so far. While the car is ageing well, mechanically, the car is running quite well. Thanks to Bangalore's weather, there is hardly any rust spots.

I have parked this car at my parents' retirement home on the outskirts of Bangalore and it's blissful to drive around the scenic yet good roads. My mechanic assists me by coming over here for any quick repairs. Thanks to Bhpian Babyhindusthan (Souryadeep), he manages to source all the required spares from Calcutta and sends over courier to us at Bangalore.

Seen here the Ambassador parked alongside my Fiesta and also seen is our pet PeCo!

It was time for the weekend drive and some quick checks were pending. Engine oil was checked and topped up, radiator topped up with distilled water and filled in some petrol.

Our neighbor uncle who lives nearby seen along with his 1972 Bajaj 150 scooter and checking out the Amby.

Quick cleaning of the Amby making it ready for the drive!

Driving along the very well laid down roads of Yelahanka (Suburb of Bangalore)

Hesargatta reserved forest roads

Driving along the Hesargatta lake road; weather was perfect for a leisure Sunday drive!!

Yours truly posing proudly with the Ambassador!

Bhpian funkykar's (Karthik Makam) Ambassador Mark2

First two generation Ambassadors!

From the Cockpit of the Mark2

Two great looking sedans!

Daughter Yashna equally loves the classics at home!

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I learnt to drive in this 1986 car. Sadly, it was sold in 2006 after my uncle tragically passed away. I had vowed to find it and restore it.

BHPian AmbyLSX recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello TeamBHP,

I’m excited to share a personal project that I've been chasing for years, and I could really use your expertise.

Quick intro

I'm based in the U.S. but my roots are in Ooty and Coimbatore, India. I learned to drive in a 1986 Ambassador with my uncle. Sadly, the car was sold in 2006 after he tragically passed away, but I vowed to find it and restore it. Fast forward to today, I've finally located and purchased that very Ambassador. It's currently at my family home in Coimbatore, and I've attached a photo for reference.

I'm committed to restoring the car to its original condition and am open to shipping it anywhere within India to ensure top-quality work. Do you have recommendations on specialists or shops I should reach out to?

As a thank you for any advice you can offer, I'm more than happy to assist anyone here with automotive parts or expertise from the U.S., as I'm an enthusiast who also races (spec miata, WRL endurance series).

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

Restoring an Ambassador, Padmini, Mahindra Jeep or similar vehicles is a relatively simple exercise. Parts still aren't that tough to find, there is ample jugaad possible & the cars are mechanically very simple. Be sure to only go for top-quality labour & endless dollops of rust-proof treatment (use Wurth products).

I like the work Viraat does at his garage in Delhi. He is also BHPian Viraat13.

You must go through the restoration threads of Ambassadors & Landmasters for additional tips & advice.

You are very lucky that the USA has made it possible to import cars over 25-years old.

Here's what BHPian justin.das had to say about the matter:

Which Engine and GB is your car running On? Diesel or Petrol? Try contacting Being Vintage. Location : Trivandrum , Kerala

Here's what BHPian dhanushs had to say about the matter:

First of all, congratulations on getting back the very same car. You are extremely lucky that an Amby today is not scrapped. Even my F-I-L had an amby which he wanted to keep for long, but ended up scrapping it.

As for restoring, I would advise you to spend the same amount of effort you put into tracking the car and buying it, into finding out a good garage. Let Team-BHP be a good start for that.

Also, note that most times restorations mostly focus on the cosmetic element as that's what shows the money's worth. However, please go that extra mile to even engineer the car to mechanical perfection. Only then you will have the cake and can eat it too.

Here's what BHPian sandeepmdas had to say about the matter:

I learnt to drive in a 1980 Amby Mark 3 in 1986, in Kerala. In those days, Coimbatore was considered as the best place in India to "dieselize" and air-condition the Amby. In fact, immediately after my driving lessons, the Mark 3 petrol was converted to Matador Diesel, a King (or National) AC was fitted, radiator was changed, the front bench seat was replaced with 2 bucket seats, column-shift gear lever was replaced with "platform gear", a Pioneer Stereo cassette player was fitted and all glasses were changed to tinted ones. Repainted and also treated with some MRF anti-rust product. There were two proud decals in the boot when she returned: Power Brake and A/c No Hand Signal Only to be sold in 1990, due to bad times.

Everything was done in Coimbatore, all the above. Where have gone all those expert "mestris" and master mechanics? I don't know about the current situation in Coimbatore, but I sincerely hope some of those legendary workshops are still there.

Here's what BHPian Geo_Ipe had to say about the matter:

As someone who has used a 1979 Ambassador in the recent past, I'll be able to throw some light here.

Working on the Ambassador isn't too difficult yet, I had 3 different mechanics who were competent in what they did in Vellore, a smaller town than Coimbatore.

Mechanical restoration will depend on what engine + gearbox the car has. A lot of 80's Ambassadors currently have the Matador diesel, which is quite an efficient and easy-to-maintain motor. If your car has the original column shifter, you'll need a mechanic who has worked on those before, which are available aplenty in Coimbatore.

As far as the exterior trims & cosmetics are concerned, you'll have to do a lot of hunting for original parts like the Mark 4 specific grille, steering wheel etc. Sellers are already quoting exorbitant prices for these items and once they know you're an NRI, they'll most definitely try to rip you off further!

I'm not sure if you're planning to be in Coimbatore for the restoration process or if you're planning to execute the whole thing remotely from the US. If the latter is the case, you may be better off approaching shops which specialise in these matters, instead of asking someone to do mechanic hopping. Waiting for more pictures and the list of work to be done on the car, so that people can advise you better.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

She's born in 1990 and as had 2 owners in the past. The second owner from whom I got her, had her for 30 years.

BHPian acestormtrooper recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So finally I got back an Amby for myself!

We owned a 1972 Mark IV for quite a few years. I wasn't even born then. But the car remained in the family for quite a few years until she was sold in Scrap! I had learnt to drive on the same Ambassador and then she left us.

The car in the image below is the one that I have mentioned above - MRJ 692. I searched for her a lot within the city (Pune) when i grew up, however, I was not able to locate her at any scrapyard or Garage.

The Itch remained...

Having always wanting a similar one for a very long time, my search always continued. There was a time when I found one but never had the money, or if I had the money, the documents were not in order. Cut to - September 2022, I had to go to Sangli (Maharashtra) from Pune to accompany a friend for some personal work of his. His neighbor had this Blue Ambassador parked in this parking along with a Hyundai Creta. I inquired with my friends relatives and they connected me to him. He was surprised that why would I want this car and he was looking for a buyer for the Ambassador as he didn't have much time to take care of her and always wanted to give it to a good home. This was the moment!!

The Deal

I took his contact details and got in touch with him once I came back to Pune. His initial quote was an astronomical sum to which I had to negotiate a lot and got it within my budget. I did a token transfer and after 3-4 days I left for Sangli. Met the Owner and a lot of other people (around 30 People) showed up as the entire clan got emotional that the car was going away today. Completed all the formalities with respect to the transfer of documents etc. All done, She is mine now!

Getting her Home

Since I was all alone, I had arranged a car carrier for the Ambassador to get her back to Pune. (Perks of working in an OEM in the past where I dealt with the dispatch fellows too) Took a day to arrive in Pune at the outskirts. Took a bike taxi to get her back home.

The above 2 images are when the vehicle was loaded into the car carrier.

This one is me getting her out of the carrier. The carrier fellow did not know how to drive a column shift!

About Her...

She's born in 1990. Has had 2 owners in the past (I would be the third owner) The second owner from whom I got her, had her for 30 years. He had purchased it from a person who was working with the Maharashtra State Transport Corporation and had apparently got a job in some other place and was disposing off his belongings. What more... Column Shift, Pretty much in stock condition. Does not let off any kind of smoke. Somethings that don't work are the speedometer and the fuel guage. Rest all is in decent shape.

That's me posing with her!

And some more shots.. Cant get my eyes off her!! (Trying out some filters from the camera, i don't think she neeed's any filters)

While driving around, I came across one of the last manufactured Ambassadors. Was comparing them.

And some more shots...

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The old engine was not strong enough for a rebuild. So the customer decided to change the whole setup and make it original, refined, silent with no extra mods.

BHPian Faith Aby recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi petrol heads,

So this is my very first forum thread or post.

I was wondering what to start with, so I chose to make a project related post as I've seen many forums related to it and many users like it too.

Here's my first post on the restoration project of a new toy which was brought by one of our customers.

The toy is a 1998 model Ambassador swapped with an original carburetted Nova 1500cc 4cyl diesel engine.

The customer basically had it parked at a workshop at Kottayam, Kerala. Sadly, it stood there for almost 3-4 years (no pics of before restoration). The climatic conditions and the age has hit it so hard. It had lots of work to be done and lots to be spent.

The customer had enough funds and interest in bringing back this beauty to life. He approached us two months back saying that somebody has to drive it from KL to BLR as he planned to give it to us for the restoration.

My dad found it the right opportunity to go to KL as he needed parts and spares for his Landmaster, sierra and also various other reasons. The time was convenient. My dad and his friend left for Kerala.

The story of the car over there was dreaded and pretty painful. It was rusted and jammed. But the mechanic somehow managed to make it run, as it was in a shelter and luckily the garage owner used to start it once in a month.

But unfortunately the car only did 40kmph max and the brake cylinders were faulty and the car had to be cranked directly from the battery to starter. But somehow with God's grace and the heart of that machine to come back to life didn't make it stop anywhere and create issues, except for fuel and cooling.

They brought that beauty back to BLR in running condition.They took turns while the other one was tired.

By the time she was here, she was hot and thirsty and ready to get restored and we couldn't wait to lay our hands on it.

The project had already started while I was out for educational reasons. So all the pictures are the ones which I've taken after the project started.

When I came back, the car's engine work had started. The engine was detached from the car and was ready to get rebuilt.

The customer wanted us not to hurry it up as it may end up in faults. We did each work patiently and without stress.

Here is the picture of its bypass surgery:

It had a 1996 Ambassador Nova diesel engine with a 5-speed Isuzu transmission.

The engine and transmission didn't match well. It didn't run properly, and moreover it grinded the clutch a lot. The desired performance wasn't received.

But now the customer regrets and has somehow managed to get an original ISZ1800 engine which is in the OEM spec and can cope up with the gearbox.

He has brought a 1998 Isuzu Peugeot engine which needed new pistons, rings, oil seals, bearings, valves, re-boring and cylinder alignment.

Here's the pic of the old engine. That's the gearbox next to it.

The old engine was not strong enough for a rebuild. The customer didn't experience much refinement and it also gave him approx. 5-6 kmpl. So he decided to change the whole setup and make it original, refined, silent with no extra mods.

He has planned greater restoration plans for this car and is taking opinions and concerns from my dad and a fellow technician who who used to work at the HM manufacturing plant in his good old days.

We have planned to restore it back to mint condition and back to the old showroom look which he had in 1998. But a bit different in appearance.

Main focus is on making it run like a daily drive and having it not too fancy.

For now, the engine work is taking place. We are planning to start the under body and running board works as the body is free.

The engine work is being done neatly and precisely by our mechanic who is an expert in engine rebuilding. He has 25 years experience in laying hands on various beauties and machines. He has rebuilt Gallardo engines and various other vintage toys.

I'm not disclosing all the facts in one single post. Lots more to come. But it will take time. But I'm damn sure its worth the wait.

Will be the posting next update of project very soon. Stay tuned.

Here's what BHPian anjan_c2007 had to say on the matter:

Very proud to read of a comparatively newer Ambassador getting restored. The earlier engine swap of the HM Stride/BMC 1489 cc/ 37 bhp diesel by the owner it is apparent was purely for fuel economy reasons and the five speed gearbox mating with the archaic diesel is a bit indigestible.

The ISZ 1800 (1817cc/ OHC/75 PS @ 5000 rpm/ 130 Nm @ 3000 rpm) petrol engine will go ideally with the 5-speed gearbox. I remember a road test of this car in Auto India magazine from 1992, where it said that then new petrol Isuzu engine gives the car "a wolf in sheep's clothing" like appearance. It gave a new lease of life to this ageing design during those years.

The ISZ 1800 engine was sourced by HM since around 1985-86 but only restricted for VVIP cars after Mrs Indira Gandhi, our PM was assassinated in 1984. The new security blue book required armour plated cars with bullet proof glasses for the VVIP's. The extra mass added required a newer power plant as the older 1489 cc/ 55 bhp/ BMC B-Series engine with its ancient design could not comply and did not fit into the scenario.

It was only in 1992 that this new engine was offered for sale to the general public. Fullbore Motors, UK had imported quite many examples into the U.K. sprucing these up for their local market purely for nostalgic reasons. Fortunately, many of these still survive in the U.K. and are chiefly used as wedding cars that are available on hire.

But despite the upgraded engine and gearbox in 1992, HM's workmanship continued to remain poor to pathetic and the body panels coming loose or rattling, metal rusting, poor quality of plastics and poor fit and finish marred the overall outlook for the buyers of this car, when newer technology was being introduced by peers into our market.

The car in question is just 24 years old, but was subjected to apathy lately and was located somewhere nearer to the sea coast where the climatic factors and neglect could have taken their toll on it.

The car is iconic for India and examples are permanently disappearing from all over. The recent West Bengal NGT order to scrap all private and commercial 15 year or older cars, trucks and buses etc, will take a very, very heavy toll on the Ambassador population in its heartland, that was once the Ambassador capital of India. So much so, that the last Ambassador taxi in Kolkata may get scrapped by 2029 !

My best wishes for the restoration project.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Fitness test process of paying the fees, documents verification and inspection was quite smooth as expected.

BHPian arun1100 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Fitness Test - Update!

The Ambassador was all set for the Fitness Test and on 20th July, Bhpian Funkykar (Karthik Makam) and me had been to the Bangalore's KA-03 RTO.

Quite fit Ambassador!

In-house fitness inspector!

Karthik driving the Ambassador!

Video

The Fitness test process of paying the fees, documents verification and inspection was quite smooth as expected.

Karthik and me were now relaxed and drove to the nearby coffee shop.

Sequence of events as seen in the Vahan website.

Updated details of the Ambassador as seen in Parivahan App.

Catch up with friends over the weekend!

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The new Ambassador will be manufactured at Hindustan Motors' Chennai plant.

The iconic Ambassador is likely to hit the Indian roads once again. According to reports, Ambassador 2.0 could be launched in India in the next 2 years.

It has been reported that Hind Motor Financial Corporation of India (HMFCI) and Peugeot are working on the new Ambassador, which will be manufactured at Hindustan Motors' Chennai plant.

According to Uttam Bose, Director, Hindustan Motors, work is underway to bring out the 'new look' Amby. He also confirmed that mechanical and design work for the new engine has reached an advanced stage.

The HM Ambassador went out of production in September 2014. In 2017, the CK Birla Group sold the brand to Peugeot for Rs 80 crores.

Source: ET Auto

Dad negotiated and the car was finally his for INR 25,000, which was a great deal then for a 20 year old Ambassador.

BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Introduction:

This story dates back to 1991, and features a 1971 Ambassador and the great journey our family had with this Raja gaadi until we parted with the car. These posts are my small way of paying a befitting tribute to:

• This great car that ruled the Indian roads for several decades, and
• All those passionate owners who held OR still hold this car and have only smiles to report in their period of ownership.

Many readers who never got a chance to experience this car would perhaps gain from a virtual experience here.

Background:

Year 1990 : My Dad, a retired Indian Army officer was longing to own a classy Ambassador. He came across some low odo great examples for INR 85,000, which was huge money those days. My Mom dissuaded him from spending so much for a car that wasn’t going to be put to much use.

Post retirement from the Indian Army, Dad held several appointments culminating in one in Chennai. Dad was known to throw surprises. I remember a day in 1990 when he suddenly turned up at home in the city that we were in, rang the doorbell, and when we opened the door, we saw him and a Lhasa Apso in tow, whose pink tongue was out more than it should have. Before his arrival, Dad had said nothing about the Apso at all. Poor Tipsy, the Apso, had travelled 10 hours by train and took a 7km long walk from the station all the way home. Dad then told us that Tipsy, a 3 year old, was being given away by someone who was relocating from Chennai to Australia, and that’s how Dad got him. The Ambassador’s arrival was something similar - a pleasant surprise that took a while to sink in !!

Arrival of the Ambassador:

By around May-1991, Dad was preparing to move to our city and get into full retirement as I’d landed a job while in my final sem. We were also preparing to move into our own house here. While all this was on, Dad comes home, rings the doorbell, and we see yet another surprise - a greyish blue Mark II Ambassador at the gate.

How did this Ambassador happen?

Dad then told us about how the car came home. He was anyways wanting an Ambassador, and when he knew he was going to settle down, he apparently kept looking for one that would fulfill his requirements plus not hurt the pocket too much. That’s when one of his friends sounded him about this car that was being used by a company manager who was relocating. This was a 1971 Ambassador with the company manager being the fifth owner. Dad negotiated and the car was finally his for INR 25,000, which was a great deal then for a 20 year old Ambassador.

Was this a too-good-to-be-true car?

Yes it was. I do not remember what the odo reading was but the car was mechanically and structurally sound except that when in the second gear there’d be a khat khat noise from the gearbox. That meant that the main shaft in the gearbox warranted replacement. The bodyline, paint, suspension were all in great shape. Tyres were average.

First jobs in the Ambassador:

Gearbox:

In the first ten days of the car coming home, the car ended up in a workshop for the gearbox job. IIRC, the main gear cost us INR 2,500 and the labour was some INR 500 or so. The part that came out of the car showed one tooth on no.2 gear missing.

Seats and door panels:

Although the seats and door panels of the car were finished in blue/grey art-leather, it did look a little gaudy. While Dad was figuring out what to do, he suddenly came across a set of light brown velvet seat covers that were available for peanuts. Reason: the upholstery guy we know had made this for one of his customers, but he got the shade a bit wrong and was making a new set. Although light brown wasn’t a great match for a greyish blue exterior, the set didn’t look too bad either. Finally, I got down to removing the door panels, fitting the brown door pads in place of the gaudy blue, and fitting the seat covers too. This was the first time I was doing upholstery fitment in any car, and surprisingly I found the fitment rather effortless. The end product looked way way better than the gaudy blue.

Evolution of the Ambassador:

The Hindustan Ambassador was based on the Morris Oxford series III model, first made by Morris Motors Limited in the United Kingdom. This post provides a quick overview of the journey of the Ambassador from the Mark I to the Mark IV.

Exterior:

It was primarily the front look that would change marginally in the various avatars that the Ambassador featured – from the Mark 1 to the Avigo.

Mark I:

Mark II:

Mark 3:

Mark 4:

Nova:

Grand:

Avigo:

Interior:

While the front of the car looked pretty much the same from Mark III onwards, the dash would feature more significant changes from one avatar to the next

Console - Mark I:

Console - 1965-1969 with oil pressure gauge:

Console - Mark II later without oil gauge:

Console Mark 3

Console - Mark 3 modified with oil pressure gauge and temperature gauge:

Console - Mark 3 Deluxe and Mark 4:

Console - Nova:

Console - Grand:

Console - Avigo:

Engines:

1476cc petrol -> 1489cc BMC B-Series petrol and 1489cc BMC B-Series diesel -> 1817cc Isuzu petrol and 1995cc Izusu diesel.

Engine bay with the 1489cc petrol - Note the wet type air filter and the see-through fuel filter.

Engine bay - 1489cc petrol - Sample image courtesy Bhpian anjan_c2007:

Engine bay - 1800cc petrol - Image courtesy Bhpian musicmanaman:

Engine bay - 2000cc diesel - Image courtesy Bhpian sidindica:

Continue reading on BHPian vigsom's 1971 Hindustan Ambassador for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

Overnight 22000 people lost their jobs, and the people who live in the quarters are without electricity or water.

BHPian Babyhindusthan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Visiting the HM plant was a long time wish, but unfortunately by the time I grew up, production stopped, still the wish remained. And when a friend and a fellow owner of a Mark II Ambassador said he also wanted to visit the plant, I jumped at the opportunity and made plans to visit this weekend only.

A quick stop for a photo in front of town hall.

Yellow cabs and white Ambassadors are still a familiar site on Calcutta roads.

Hindustan Motors Ltd sign in Bengali.

Security outpost outside a gate.

Glimpse of the plant inside (the chimneys and shed visible belong to Titagarh wagons).

Mark 1 and 2 parked inside the premises.

Security Barrack and driver's rest house.

A round of photoshoot after parking in front of a gate of Titagarh wagons.

Signboard outside disposal gate. For gaining entry into the plant, this gate was mainly used as the Hind motor station is located opposite to it.

HM property sign put up in front of Titagarh wagons plant.

Union room, one of the main reason leading to shut down of the plant.

While standing outside the disposal gate and enquiring if any spares are available, the person on the cycle stopped and told to look in Mullickbazar. He is an employee at HM, worked as a tester of the manufactured cars. The day before work was suspended, the last batch of 14 cars were made and he inspected them doing overtime, but unfortunately he didn't receive that payment also.

Another union room.

Group-fie is a must.

Notice at the disposal gate.

The disposal gate itself.

Greenery abundant inside.

Posing with the Mark 1 in front of the security barrack.

Union rooms.

The total land of the factory is 1000 acres, of which 300 acres have been leased to Shreeram group, a portion is Titagarh wagons and it is likely that the plant will be broken down and made an IT hub. We weren't allowed to go much further inside, although locals are being allowed, probably because the security guard present at the gate was ill tempered. Inside the premises, no cars are left, all being sold out through the back gates. Learned from the tester that there was a prototype of HM Veer pickup truck kept in a showcase inside the plant, that too was taken out after closure of the plant. Overnight 22000 people lost their jobs, and the people who live in the quarters are without electricity or water.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The next couple of days, I was expecting a reply and after a long wait of about two weeks, I got a call from the seller's son. He asked me some basic questions like why I was interested in such an old car and if I had the capability to maintain a 60-year-old classic car. I briefed him about my experience with classics and only after that, he shared his location and suggested I have a look at the car.

BHPian arun1100 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hindustan Ambassador - The purchase and initial ownership experience

This thread is about the ownership experience of our 60-year-old Historical Car - The 1960 Hindustan Ambassador (popularly known as Mark 1); drafted along with BHPian funkykar (Karthik Makam).

There is something intriguing about classic cars, especially Fiats and Ambassadors. These are the cars we '80s and '90s kids have seen as we grew up. The simple mechanicals, timeless design, nostalgic memories make these Classics so special for some of us classic car enthusiasts. Owning a car then used to be a very big deal. Affordability is one, the never-ending wait periods were another. One had to wait several years in waiting period to be able to own an automobile. This also made the owner and often the entire family bond with it. Fiat, or rather the Premier Padmini, has been my favorite classic car, as this is our family's first car and the car in which I learnt to drive. At home, we still have my Dad's 1991 Premier Padmini, and also Dad's 1997 Chetak and 1971 Bullet. Coming to the Ambassador, my grandfather owned a 1970 Mark 2. This was the only car any of our family members owned till the early '90s. Sometime in the mid-'80s, this Ambassador was sold. Years later, my Dad's official car was a 1998 model 1800cc ISZ Ambassador. In my childhood summer holidays, I have been on many drives with my Dad and his driver in this Ambassador across coastal Karnataka during his official trips. I drove on the highway for the first time in this very Ambassador. For a brief period, I owned a Ambassador Mark 2 in 2016, which I eventually passed it on to BHPian Arun.V. I've lot of fond memories of these three Ambassadors and it was a dream for me to own one such Ambassador sometime in my life.

Karthik was crazy too for owning an Ambassador ever since he drove a couple of petrol Ambassadors. This Ambassador's purchase happened way back in Feb 2020, yes, feels too long back as a lot has happened in the last fifteen months even without a coffee! Karthik and I casually browse OLX once in a while as means to kill some time. This also gives us a peek at how some of the classics we admire appear. Not that we intend to buy one as we already have a number of classic cars and scooters at home. But one fine evening in Jan 2020, I stumbled upon an Ambassador Mark 1 ad in OLX. The description and the pictures were impressive and hence, I forwarded the ad to Karthik. The seller's location was very close to my sister's house as per the ad. I messaged the seller in OLX and requested him to share his number and also informed him that my sister's house is close to his house. The next couple of days, I was expecting a reply and after a long wait of about two weeks, I got a call from the seller's son. He asked me some basic questions like why I was interested in such an old car and if I had the capability to maintain a 60-year-old classic car. I briefed him about my experience with classics and only after that, he shared his location and suggested I have a look at the car.

That weekend, on a Saturday morning, Karthik and I visited the seller's home close to MG Road, Bangalore in my Dad's Premier Padmini. Since it was the weekend, we could enjoy the classic drive together. We knocked on the door and there came the Ambassador's owner, Mr. Anand Kumar, and along with him was his son Naresh. We introduced ourselves and started walking towards their home garage where the Ambassador was parked. But my Padmini caught Anand uncle's attention and immediately he told me he wanted to check out my Padmini first. We all sat in the Padmini and went for a short drive. Uncle was very happy to see a well-maintained classic car and he was convinced I was a prospective buyer as I could easily drive a column shift geared Padmini which is similar to the Ambassador.

Now came the opportunity for us to see the Ambassador. Right in here, inside the closed garage, was the Ambassador which we were so eager to see for about three weeks. We had seen the pics of the Ambassador in the OLX ad, however, these Classics generally look great in pics regardless of the real condition:

Karthik and me were really restless to see the Ambassador in real as Anand uncle was trying to open the shutter. To keep our excitement intact, the shutter refused to open!

We informed uncle we would visit them again the next day. When we visited again the next morning, his son Naresh helped him open the shutter. I was shivering in excitement, probably the reason for the pic to appear shaky. Lol:

And there we saw the Ambassador for real for the very first time!

As Naresh drove their family legacy out of the garage:

Look at the 60-year-old history of Indian Automobile gleaming all the way to Glory!

Naresh parked the Ambassador outside their home and uncle told us the history of this Ambassador. History is the car was originally a Kerala car owned by a business family who had their establishment in Bangalore too. The car was bought new in 1960 by the Kerala family and hence the car's original registration number was KLQ 2725. In 1964, the Ambassador was brought to Bangalore and re-registered with the registration number - MYV 5263. For some reason, the car was sold in Bangalore to Anand uncle's Father Mr. M. Krishna Swamy, who was GM in ITC, Bangalore. One interesting bit is that the original owner of the Ambassador - NP Chewing gum factory owner's grandson was my classmate in school. I will try to get in touch with him and see if they recollect this car!

Anyways, since 1964, the Ambassador has been with Anand uncle's family. In fact, Anand uncle went on to narrate the story that he learnt driving in this very Ambassador in the early '70s. After his father passing away, Anand uncle continued to use it till his retirement. The reason for selling was his old age, health and parking issues.

RC Copy with details of previous registration:

Anand uncle then asked me about my education and career. It was then we came to know that we both were Alumni of the same school - St. Germains, Bangalore. Our discussion got very interesting thereon and also realized that we both had been attending the school's OBA every year! We felt very connected by now and uncle was confident that if the car is sold to us, it would be in safe hands.

Anand uncle offered us a drive in the Ambassador but he suggested he would drive himself. Just for memory sake, I wanted a pic of this drive and took the below pic of Uncle. I was not sure if Uncle would like me to take a pic of him driving. Nevertheless, I showed him this pic later and he liked it. This pic eventually became more valuable; more on it later:

After uncle took us for a short drive, Karthik and I too drove the car around the locality. Below were the first impressions of the Ambassador:

• Original petrol engine and column shift gear. The carburetor was changed by the previous owner from SU carburetor to Solex carburetor.
• Since the car was always parked in a closed garage, the body was quite perfect with almost no rust anywhere and the paint slightly faded.
• The car drove quite well - the engine, brakes, suspension all seemed very good for a 6 decades old car.
• The car was last restored in '80s and untouched ever since.
• Most of the original bits were intact like the grill, bumpers, meters, etc.
• FC and Insurance were Valid.
• Interesting observation was that FC had never lapsed throughout the 56 years of ownership in one family.
• Car was always in running condition. The Ambassador was never hibernated in its lifetime.
• Tyres on the car were really aged and needed immediate replacement.

All this was customary. Deep within, both of us had already made up our minds to acquire this beauty. Uncle invited us to his home for coffee and we continued our discussion. I gave the assurance to uncle that if the car is sold to us, we would surely give her the best time, love, and care. As the family never bought a used car nor sold one, they had no clue how to go about it. Casually, uncle had called Cars24. Uncle told us that the only person who saw the car was from Cars24. He was not ready to sell to such a car dealer as they didn't value the car as much as it deserves. He also said he did not reply to most of them on OlX too as he did not feel they were good enough to acquire their possession. Once uncle made up his mind to sell the Ambassador to us, he finalized the price, delivery timeline etc. In the next few minutes, he spoke about the transfer of ownership. A week later, we did the money transfer and also initiated the car ownership transfer. The car's FC and Insurance were valid and hence made the ownership transfer easy.

Feb 1st was the day we decided to take the delivery of the Ambassador from Anand Uncle and Naresh. Uncle handed over a big box of spares he had. For us classic lovers, this is equivalent to the gift hamper any child receives during their birthdays. He gave us an insight into the current mechanical condition and gave a heads up on the immediate repairs needed like weak tires, etc. This car has been with their family for 56 years, used by three generations of the family, and hence it was a very emotional moment for the entire family to let go of the car.

Anand Uncle and his son Naresh pose with their family Ambassador:

Anand Uncle and his son Naresh. Uncle is now resting his hand on the car emotionally. Their domestic help of few years also felt somewhat emotional too and chose to be around (seen in the background, right side):

I joined them for a group photo:

Karthik took a selfie with all of us:

Karthik took this video of me driving the Ambassador for the very first time. Just after I started the car, Uncle and Naresh gave their final set of instructions related to the cranking procedure and gear changing.

Yay, all smiles!! Karthik and me finally driving our Ambassador after a long effort of completing the purchase formalities:

Finding a Classic car and then completing the purchase formalities is quite a task. Considering our passion for the Classics, it's all worth it.

Here's a Balcony view of the Ambassador after we drove her home for the first time. I just could not stop staring at this beautiful sight!

Continue reading arun1100's review of his 1960 Ambassador and BHPian comments for more insights and information.