Hindustan Ambassador: 44 years in production and counting

Looking back with a certain nostalgia at old cars while you watch life pass you by, stuck in memories, may not be very good for your health. But speaking of past things that are still current today, here is an example of a vehicle built over 44 years: the Hindustan Ambassador.

In 1956, a small British car with the typical saloon lines of the era, the Morris Oxford III, went on sale in Great Britain and stayed in production for three years. Once the British began to think about its replacement, they no longer needed the tools, spare parts and production line of the Oxford III, and decided to sell them to India, a territory that still bore many traces of colonialism. Among the habits and tastes that remained in the recently independent Indians was a fondness for British cars. For this reason, the old Morris Oxford was renamed Hindustan Ambassador and began to be produced in India.

The car remained in service and has been in production since 1958 with very few changes. So few that the bodywork is the same as in 1958 (it looks like a Peugeot 403), although some mechanical elements were renewed, such as the gearbox that has moved from the steering column to the floor, or the addition of hydraulic brakes and power steering.

The Hindustan is available in two different trims, the aforementioned Ambassador and the one called Landmaster (another hint of English colonialism in the name). The Ambassador has better finishes and is the preferred choice of almost everyone, while the engine options have varied over time, but it can now be had with two Isuzu diesel engines, one with 1.5 litres and the other with 2 litres.

In recent years, a stylistically more modern variant called Aviro, built together with Mahindra, has joined the Hindustan range, with a rather striking resemblance to the Mini Cooper, although the rear is the classic Ambassador design. This model aims not to lose the market that the Ambassador has always had, which has been attracted to more modern cars.