Five Indian cars modified into stretched limousines

Snapshot: Badi Gaddi, Hindi for big car, is what most Indian car buyers aspire for. While it is of another matter that stretched limousines aren’t practical for narrow Indian streets, the fascination for a longer automobile with a boot in tow is a phenomenon that explains compact sedans such as the Maruti Swift Dzire and the Honda Brio Amaze. Stretching things to an all new length are Indian car customizers whose stretched limousines are a big draw among the swish set and gawkers alike. CarToq profiles five such stretch limousine mods based on the cars sold in India.

Read Part 2: Indian cars modified into limousines

Skoda Octavia Limousine

Big Daddy Customs has stretched the Skoda Octavia notchback and has given the car’s interiors a complete makeover, replete with a mini bar and a high end entertainment system to boot.

Here’s the full list of changes on the Octy Royale limousine:

• 7 feet wheelbase
• Custom made sun roofs
• Side facing bench for 3-4 people
• Bar counter
• Split AC
• Ambient lighting
• JBL sound system with DVD player and 26 inch LCD screen
• Glass based, remote controlled privacy partition
• Charcoal black art leather seats and grey interior upholstery

Hindustan Ambassador Limousine

A white coloured Hindustan Ambassador still commands a lot of respect on the Indian roads for it used to be the preferred ride of the political class and bureaucracy here. Famed for its sofa-like back seat and spacious innards, the Ambassador continues to trundle on as a cab in some parts of India. Although the car is slowly disappearing from Indian roads, here’s a stretched version that aims to make the Ambassador more comfortable than ever. Since the Ambassador is still built by Hindustan Motors, you can buy one in petrol/CNG or diesel guise and still live your Ambassador limo dreams.

Mahindra Scorpio Limousine

Passenger comfort has never been a strong suit of the Scorpio, which is basically a hardy Jeep with creature comforts. An SUV known more for its imposing presence and rugged nature, the Scorpio limousine is an unlikely sight on Indian roads.

Here, we have not one but two Scorpios that have been heavily modified to do duty as stretch limousines. While one Scorpio derives inspiration from the Hummer to be styled similarly, the other Scorpio goes to the extent of borrowing headlamps from the ubiquitous Maruti WagonR.

Hindustan Contessa Limousine

While the Ambassador was a Mantri/Babu favourite in pre-liberalization India, the business-class has a classier option to pick from in the form of the Contessa. Based on the Vauxhall Victor, the Contessa embodied British charm with American pony car looks. A comfortable car, the Contessa was a top-of-the-line luxury product from Hindustan Motors, who stopped producing it in 2002. Nevertheless, the car continues to command an small yet ardent fan following who keep it alive in modified/stock forms. The one that has made it this story is a stretched limousine version of the Contessa, a one of its kind car.

Ford Endeavour Limousine

The Ford Endeavour SUV isn’t the most manouverable car considering its generous proportions. This SUV gets to the border of unmanageable when stretched. This is precisely what has been done to the limousine version of the Ford Endeavour.

In stock guise, the Endeavour is sold with 2.5 liter and 3 liter turbo diesel engines. Considering the customized Endeavour limousine’s 27 foot length and the added paraphernalia on its insides, the SUV will need considerably more torque to lug its weight around.