Car aficionados and common men are upset over the move by Hindustan Motors to discontinue the production of the Ambassador cars, once described as the ‘king of Indian roads’.
The impact of the company’s decision could be felt in the 9th edition of the Ooty Vintage Car Rally held on Saturday as car owners and lovers expressed their anguish in the country saying farewell to the time tested Amby.
Ooty, Queen of the Hills, played host to 58 ‘beauties and kings’ from a different era. Vintage cars, some of them dating back to 1930s and had ferried statesmen, kings, queens and business tycoons gathered at the hill station from different parts of Tamil Nadu.
A Plymouth Savoy (1957) owned by the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington, a 1947 model Riley owned by newspaper baron late Ramnath Goenka, the 1952 Plymouth owned and driven by the legendary JRD Tata were some of the cars which stole the limelight this year. The Riley took viewers back to the days of Second World War when steel was short in supply. “The English manufacturers used wood and minimized the steel content so as to cut down cost of production,” Ashwin Sivaraj, the present owner of the car told The Pioneer.
The Plymouth Savoy has been a favourite of President Pranab Mukherjee, former President APJ Abdul Kalam and a list of dignitaries. “The most prominent rider of this car was Filed Marshal Sam Manekshaw,” said Kennedy Hridayakumar, senior chauffer with the Indian Army.
Rajani Kant, the coordinator of the vintage car rally said this year’s event was dedicated to the Ambassador. “We hope the manufacturers will have a rethink about their decision to discontinue the production. Ambassador was the best car suited to Indian roads,” said Kant, a regional transport officer with the Tamil Nadu Government.
Thousands of Ooty residents who took a day off for the event were bowled over by the ‘amazing’ and bewitching looks and shapes of Austins, Sunbeams, Chevrolets, Wolseleys and Fiats. “You should remember that these cars were designed and manufactured in a period when there were no computers and ultra modern gadgets. Most of these models were crafted manually with high level of precision,” said Innison George, a participant who had come with a vintage Willys Jeep of the 1940.
Naveen who drove a 1947 model Austin was the cynosure of all eyes. The green and white beauty glided smoothly through the gruelling Ghat Road to reach Ooty which is 2,700 metres above the sea level. Many modern day cars could be seen fretting and fuming while negotiating the hairpin curves along the stretch while the Austin and Naveen put all of them behind.
What stood out in the rally was the presence of nine Ambassadors. “We are shocked by the news about the discontinuation of the production of Ambassadors. The Government should do something to revive the Ambassador as the vehicle has a great heritage value,” said A Doraiswamy who came from Palakkadu driving a 1956 model landmaster manufactured by Hindustan Motors. Doraiswamy’s landmaster had a trouble-free ride along the steep Ghat road connecting Ooty to Mettupalayam.