Mahindra and Mahindra Chairman Anand Mahindra’s backed Classic Legends is turning the clock back for motorcycle evangelists in the country. The company in December announced that it was driving the nostalgia train to bring the legacy iconic brand Yezdi back into the market. The announcement was met with enthusiasm from the millennials and thus suggestions are pouring in for other brands to bring their legacy products back with Hindustan Motors’ Ambassador leading the chart.
Called ‘King of Indian Roads’ the Ambassador has an intimate memory for Indian Millennials and boomers growing up. The Ambassador was not a car for people who wanted to drive, but rather who wanted to be driven around.
Most of the Ambassadors on the road back then were chauffeur-driven, and thus quickly became a status symbol. Politicians preferred to travel in one, and so did many celebrities. The ‘Laal Batti’ (Red beacon) over a white Ambassador used to be the dream sold to UPSC aspirants as the fruit of their labour. Thus, the nostalgia factor is strong with the legacy brand.
However, Ambassador, while preserving its aristocratic flair soon became a staple for the ordinary public as well. The taxis or the ‘Kaali-peeli’ taxis as they are colloquially called are still used to ferry passengers across the streets of the country.
History of Ambassador
Ambassador was manufactured by Hindustan Motors and was one of the first proper “Made in India” cars. Before Ambassador came into being, Hindustan Motors, after collaborating with Morris Motors of England (the predecessor to MG) on multiple occasions brought the Landmaster.
However, the Landmaster never really managed to hit its straps and was soon discontinued. The Landmaster was essentially the Morris Oxford Series II which was later replaced by the Morris Oxford Series III – the erstwhile Ambassador MK1 in India.
It was in 1958 that Ambassador came into existence for the first time with the same side-valve engine that was available on the Landmaster (MK1). It was a car that was supremely efficient, could withstand even the worst of potholes, and its spacious seating allowed one to explore the world while sitting.
Throughout the years, the iconic car did not get a drastic makeover, but it surely got little improvements over time. The MK2 (1962-1975) got an updated wooden dashboard with new dials but the basic layout of the interior and the amount of space it offered stayed nearly identical. The MK3 and MK4 versions did minor tweaks as well.
However, it was Ambassador Nova launched in 1990 that is known as the modern Ambassador. To cut the costs, the car’s iconic metal grille was replaced by a more basic version and the metal over riders on the bumper were replaced by rubberized ones.
The End of Hindustan Motors and its biggest offering
However, the bulkiness of the car and the dawn of much more comfortable SUVs meant that Ambassador’s clout started to decline from the early 2000s. After PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee updated his official vehicle from an Ambassador to a BMW, the politicians also started to look for alternatives.
The end came in 2014 when Hindustan Motors finally halted the production of Ambassador, following a failed attempt at rebranding the car in a more compact and swankier version titled ‘Amby.’ The Uttarpara plant, outside Kolkata where the car was manufactured shut its shutters and brought an end to a magnificent era of Indian automobile legend.
However, with the world transitioning towards an Electric future, Ambassador can once again make a comeback, if Hindustan Motors is willing to keep up with the changing times. As predicted a few months back by TFI of an EV Nano, Tata Motors took upon it and is now planning to bring back the car.
Read more: We predicted a TATA Nano electric to be relaunched even before Ratan Tata did 😉
Unlike Nano, Ambassador had a glorious run and thus consumers will run to buy the new Ambassador if it is customized to today’s needs. Hindustan Motors should get down in the R&D lab and try to chalk out a new, sleeker version of the car that carries the nostalgia and aristocracy of its former self.
