Hindustan Ambassador (1957 - )

Introduction

Best known as the bright yellow taxi that's still a common site in Southern Indian cities, the Hindustan Ambassador remains one of the few classic cars you can still buy brand new. It's been built since 1959, and although it's received many running changes along the way the basic Morris Oxford Series III character still shines brightly.

It's been imported into the UK on and off since the 1990s - and it's currently off - but a lack of quality and high price here has always been the Ambassador's undoing. The Hindustan Ambassador remains a low-volume mainstay, with production still ongoing, despite its maker having a bash at replacing it in the 1980s with the Contessa, essentially, a localized version of the 1972 Vauxhall Victor FE. All models now powered by Isuzu diesel engines.