‘Salim Khan drove me home in my ambassador'

The erstwhile king of Indian cars, our very own Ambassador, stops production of the car that has been on Indian roads since 1948. The car that took its inspiration from the Morris Oxford III, built in the United Kingdom, was first gifted by Hindustan Motors to our first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. It was a car which underwent minimal design changes from its original and at one point in time, was ranked the best taxi in the world by a British automobile television series. Many of us have learnt to drive on the rock-solid Ambassador as we were often told by our parents, 'If you can drive an Ambassador, you can drive any car.'
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Well, having learnt my driving on it, I could vouch for that, though of course in today's automated times, our kids, may never get to see what a side gear is and how much effort it would take to change gears in such cars. For the longest time there were only two options, either you could buy the smart Fiat or the royal Ambassador. The USP of the Ambassador was that it was spacious, comfortable and, of course, a mark of being wealthy. A few days back, the Ambassador rolled out its last piece and we decided to talk to some of our celebrities who were proud owners of the good old Ambassador.

Javed Akhtar My first car was a second-hand Ambassador in the early 70s. I loved the idea of owning a car and it was the biggest fantasy for me, so booking the car only was big thing fr me. And the day I brought the car was a big event. It had cost me `13,500. After I bought it I was left with absolutely no money so much so that Mrs Salim Khan contributed Rs 50 for the petrol. Since I did not know how to drive, Salim (Khan) drove me home. And I learnt to drive on the Ambassador. It was black in colour but I got it painted white as I preferred white those days. I know a lot of people are in love with their Ambassador essentially because it was a tough car, very high and spacious. Owning an imported car was a rarity in those days.

Jeetendra l At the peak of his career in the 80s, Jeetendra stayed a lot down South as he would shoot many of his films there. The Ambassador car being extremely popular in Chennai, the actor owned a white Ambassador. Jeetendra talking to us said, "I had purchased it for `18,000 and given it to my driver Senu who used it as a taxi and would keep the car with him all the time. Actually, it was his car as I had bought it for him. He would pick me up from the airport, take me for shoots and later on after the completion of the shoot, drop me to the airport and bill the producer. Then he would use the same car, like a taxi. Three of my staff members — my make-up man, my assistant and my spot boy would sit behind and I would sit in the front. It was the same team for several years. I used the same car for four to five years, it was quite sturdy. Those days, there was not much choice and it had to be either a Fiat or an Ambassador." His son Tusshar remembers driving in the Ambassador whenever he visited his dad in Chennai. And a couple of years back, the young actor was surprised to see an Ambassador while shooting for a Rajshri film. Talking to us he said, "I saw Soorajji (Barjatya) come with his dad in an Ambassador which I found very surprising because the model is rarely seen these days."

Hema Malini l I was a proud owner of a green colour Ambassador car. It was my very first car and I bought it second-hand in 1968 for `19,000. I really took care of it and maintained it well for about 10 to 12 years, but gradually its condition deteriorated. I learnt my driving on the Ambassador. I loved it because it was very spacious, luxurious, comfortable and economical. I also loved its shape. I had an air conditioner installed in it. I found it very prestigious to own it because all the bureaucrats and government officials would use the laal batti Ambassador. My Ambassador was always kept in Chennai because I spent a lot of time there. I used to drive down to my dance class in it. My mother also owned one here in Mumbai. However, my father felt my car was occupying a lot of space and he decided to dispose it off. I felt very sad when that happened. I was so much in love with it that I kept looking at it without blinking when it was being taken to be sold off. I wished I had a farm where I could have preserved it forever just like a monument.

Talat Aziz My dad owned a beige white Ambassador in Hyderabad and I would drive it very often. In fact, I learnt driving on it. I would also race with it with my friends and have driven all over the country in an Ambassador. I would quite often drive from Hyderabad to Bhopal. I loved it because of its sturdiness and space and was hoping that we would continue with the modernised version but I guess we have to move on.

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