This Ford Mustang is actually a tastefully resto-modded Hindustan Contessa [Video]

Hindustan Motors gave us a few gems during its run as an automobile manufacturer in India. The Ambassador may the most common and nostalgia-evoking cars by them, but many enthusiasts also have their respects for the Contessa. The Contessa was a pretty popular and expensive car during its time and owning one announced that one has finally arrived in life. Apart from its comfortable interiors, the car was known for its straight lines and muscle car like design language, which was something new at that time in India.

This is the reason why it is still one of the most sought after old cars in India. There have been various examples of beautifully resto-modded Contessas which make people go gaga over them. The video below by Aamhi Karamati shows an HM Contessa that has been modified to look like the iconic Ford Mustang. Let’s take a look at the video before discussing more about the work done on the car.

As seen in the video, the Contessa has been completely modified and remodelled to resemble a Mustang from the 60’s. The Contessa was called the first muscle car of India (aesthetically) by many and it was because of its unique design, which in fact Hindustan Motors picked from the Vauxhall VX under license. Therefore, it is the perfect car for creating a Mustang lookalike in a budget. According to the people who worked on the car, the donor Contessa was in a very poor state initially and it was a pretty tedious job to modify it into the Mustang. It is said tough that God favours those who help themselves and same is the case here. Let’s now talk about all what has been done on the car.

Almost all of the bodywork on this Contessa-Mustang is all new, fabricated from scratch to mimic the design of the Mustang. The front end has been specially designed to resemble the Mustang. The signature Mustang grille, Pony symbol in the middle flanked by lamps at either side and the thin metal bumper are along the various elements which make it a lovely Mustang remake. The rear end has three circular pods on either side acting as taillights, with a different pod for reverse, brake and indicator light. The sleek looking boot area further complements its overall design.

Apart from the exteriors, the interiors have also received some good upgrades. The whole cabin and dashboard are now finished in a shade of red and beige which actually looks quite good. The mod guys have placed a sporty Momo steering wheel with red, black and silver accents. The car gets custom made seats and other upholstery which further take up the oomph factor of the car.   The gear lever and the door pads too have been covered with new matching materials, which shows a good level of detailing in this mod job.

The Contessa Mustang mod here is powered by an 1817 cc water-cooled petrol engine that churns out 85 HP at 5,000 rpm along with 135 Nm of torque at 3,000. The car gets disc brakes for the front wheels with yellow callipers and drum brakes at the rear. To complete the Mustang look, this Contessa now sports two doors instead of dour doors on the stock Contessa. Without a doubt then, this Contessa-Mustang mod job is among the best we have seen. the only other significant upgrade it needs is a new powerful engine coupled with a new set of exhaust pipes. Nonetheless, the guys who have worked on this mod job deserve a tip of the hat from our side.