SUPER rare Hindustan Contessa commercial from pre-launch days [Video]

The Hindustan Contessa is a cult classic. The Conti, as it’s fondly called, was available till 2002 and one can find some well-maintained examples even in this day and age. While you don’t see too many of these cars on the road anymore, watching this Hindustan Contessa Classic TV commercial is a trip down memory lane.

https://youtu.be/kYuqXCHLb30

The Contessa was initially launched with a 1.5-litre 50hp engine that came from the Ambassador. The engine came mated to a 4-speed gearbox. By the late eighties, Hindustan had tied up with Isuzu and had obtained the license to manufacture the 1.8-litre 4ZB1 petrol engine. The Contessa Classic, which was marketed as a more upmarket variant, got this engine with a five-speed manual transmission. Soon, the 1.5-litre variant was phased out and the Contessa Classic continued to attract car buyers who sought a sufficiently premium and a powerful car.

The video above highlights the car’s spacious interior and plush ride quality, targeting chauffeur-driven buyers. The TVC starts with a ‘rich looking’ guy reading a newspaper in the backseat of his chauffeur-driven Contessa. Soon, the video highlights the fact that the car is equipped with a powerful 1800-cc engine. It also highlights the 5-speed gearbox, which was a rarity back then. Another highlight was the powerful disc brakes set-up, which helped the car shed speed quickly. The video ends with the text – ‘Contessa Classic 1.8 GL Luxury Car.’

While the ‘luxury car’ claim seems to be a bit far-fetched in this day and age, the Contessa was easily more upmarket than the likes of HM Ambassador, Padmini Premier and Maruti Suzuki 800. In spite of being based on a car from the 70s, it offered a very comfortable cabin. Later on, Hindustan Motors even added numerous features like fuel injection, power windows, power steering and aircon to this sedan.

Video courtesy – The Alpha Male Channel on Youtube