At first I thought it was a London taxi. Upon closer inspection, I remained puzzled. Reminded me of a European sedan from the 1950's or early 1960's--a Peugeot, a Hillman, a Volvo? A Russian ZIL? The windscreen visor was a popular feature on early 1950s Chevrolets. But this car was brand-new, with shreds of protective plastic still on the seats. And the interior was quite modern.
It's an
Ambassador, made by Hindustan Motors in India. This model has an Isuzu engine. They must be one of the most popular cars in the world, but I've not been to India, and had never encountered one before. Based on an English Morris from 1957, Ambassadors have been produced in India for the past half-century. It's a handsome car. I want one. The only thing that didn't appeal were the cheesy, stick-on badges.
I wonder if these are being imported to Europe and sold here. Would like to learn more abut the motor industry in India: I know Land Rover is Indian-owned now. Is this car, on the streets of Wassenaar, NL, a one-off owner-import? Or perhaps belongs to the Indian Embassy in The Hague? The plates weren't CD plates but didn't look like regular NL number plates, either. Perhaps Indian?
Jim and I were passengers in an Ambassador taxi between Pondicherry and Chennai airport - and other places in Tamil Nadu. it is the most wonderful car I have ever experienced. Smooth ride if you can't hitch an elephant!
ReplyDeleteSo nice to read Ginny. Yes it truly is. So iconic, but sad to say its production was stopped in May 2014 after an uninterrupted 56 years (1958-2014)
DeleteAmbassador is India's pride.Its a symbol of our whole political arena,a carrier of politicians and also signifies the presence of some leader at any place.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful sighting by you autoliterate. The Ambassador's production was sadly stopped on 24.05.2019 in India, marking it as a sad day for the car's many fans. Many of these still run in India. Many of these were exported to the U.K. for nostalgic reasons, as the car is basically a Morris Oxford Series III made under licence by Hindustan Motors, Kolkata from 1958-2014.
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