5 great Ambassadors: Beautiful restorations to stunning resto-mods

The Hindustan Ambassador is an iconic car that holds a special place in the Indian automotive history. The Ambassador, often termed as the national car of India, fought a valiant fight with the modern cars and died a silent death failing to keep up with changing times. The grand old car of India still survives in enthusiast garages. Here are 5 impeccably resto-modified Ambassadors that will bring back those nostalgic memories.

Kit Up

The beautiful restoration by Kit Up will make sure that every head turns on the street it passes through. The Amby gets beautiful stealth Frozen Midnight Black paint job finished in matte. The steel rims also get an all-black treatment with the wheel covers dipped in perfect chrome. The car retains original grille and the headlamps but gets a new life with a fresh coat of chrome on it.

The interiors have been beautifully stitched in tan leather. The seats and the dashboard are all covered in tan now, making the vehicle much more luxurious. The roof gets black fabric with six LED lamps embedded in them. The engine has been left untouched.

Ambassador Turbo

The Hindustan Ambassador is known for a lot of things in India but performance is not one of them. This modification done by Karanraj Shah of KS Motorsports will change the way you see Ambassadors. The 300 BHP Amby painted in blood red is something that Hindustan Motors could have never thought about.

The Ambassador Grand is based on the 1994 Nissan Sylvia S13. The chassis of the Sylvia was tweaked to fit the Amby’s shell. The new model is powered by the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that has been heavily retuned with added support like a bigger Garrett turbo, an intercooler and Nismo exhaust system. KS Motorsports has also installed new suspensions, drivetrain and axles.  The interiors also receive a similar red-theme like the exterior and this is undoubtedly one of the fastest Ambassadors seen on Indian roads.

Modern Ambassador

This is an example of what Hindustan should have done for the Ambassador to survive the onslaught of modern cars. The tasteful modification does not change the exteriors much but the interiors have been updated to make sure that the modern Ambassador lovers travel in utmost comfort. The car gets a deep red or maroon paint on the body. The steel wheels have been changed with beautiful dual-spoke alloy wheels. The car also gets new fog lamps and customised ORVMs on the outside.

On the inside, the car gets all-new upholstery with black leather and red diamond stitching on it. To start with, the car gets customised wiring to take on the added load of new equipment. There is an always-on rear camera, one-touch up and down power windows on all 4 doors, power steering, central locking, dual horn, and infotainment with Bluetooth. The Amby also receives disc brakes on the front wheels.

1972 Amby with new lease of life

This modification job makes sure that car retains its iconic value yet provides a modern image to the onlookers. To start with, the exterior of the car gets a new modified grille that now also covers the fog lamps. The front bumper gets extra shine with a new layer of chrome on it. The rims have been painted in white, matching the body colour of the car while the tyres get a thin stripe of white making the whole package look much better.

On the inside, the Ambassador gets dual-tone interiors with beige and red. The door handles have been replaced with red pull-style hooks. The car gets minimal yet very smart changes like the steering wheel and the dashboard. The car keeps original seats but with a new coat of fabric keeping the car close to the original yet making it look modern.

Original Ambassador

This Ambassador from Kerala looks like it has just come home from the factory. The exterior has been carefully restored to the original including the paint. The alloys have replaced the original steel wheels but the wheels look classy making sure that the Ambassador retains the rich heritage it comes with. The upper window line receives a design element along with window wind deflectors.

On the inside, the car gets the original steering and the gear shift lever. The seats have been replaced with modern bucket seats with arm rest while the pedals also get an upgrade. The engine, which is a 1995 cc Isuzu diesel unit, has also been restored to perfection.

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