Dawn and Dusk

The pickup, the power and that cool A/C......!!!!!

The reign of the identity of a very powerful person on the move has almost neared its end, the car that was called by the rhino of roads by some and the elephant on roads by some, few hail it as the political lifeline of our democracy, some call it the lifeline in and around Kolkata, some call it the best way to go around from New Delhi Railway station, few know it as Rajnikant's only preferred car and I know it as something that has been there for my family for more than 50 years now, the Ambassador by Hindustan Motors; a legend in itself.

A quick run through of what, how and when about it. Began as Morris Oxford III, by Morris Motors Limited at Cowely, Oxford, it was reborn in 1958 as Ambassador by Hindustan Motors in India itself and most interestingly later on it went on to be exported to England....!!!! (The irony) The models lined up were Mark - I, Mark - II, Mark - III, Mark - IV, Ambassador Nova, Ambassador 1800 ISZ, Ambassador Classic, Ambassador Grand, Ambassador Avigo and lastly Ambassador Encore....... But it is sad indeed that we have so forgotten our Indian legend (one of the first Indian make cars) that its production has been suspended in May, 2014. Although it has been awarded the best taxi by BBC Top Gear.

They have even re-invented it under the name Amberoid, a contemporary version of Amabassador with cockpit cabin and state of the art inclusions, interiors and looks. It has been showcased in the auto-expo recently, but hasn't been introduced to the market yet. Let's just hope this attempt to revive the Indian Legend is successful....!!!!

Cheerio.....!!!!!