In 1977 Hindustan bumped the Ambassador Mark III to a bigger 1760cc engine for one reason: there wasn't enough power left over to run a full air conditioner otherwise.
Median 105 hp across 712 similar cars
Lead trim: 1.5 BMC B-series OHV (55 bhp)
Hindustan Ambassador Mark I–IIIMark I/II/III · 1957–1979
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Hindustan Ambassador Mark I–III yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactIn 1977 Hindustan bumped the Ambassador Mark III to a bigger 1760cc engine for one reason: there wasn't enough power left over to run a full air conditioner otherwise.
India's "national car": a rebadge of the 1956 Morris Oxford Series III, whose tooling was moved to Hindustan Motors' Uttarpara plant in 1957. It replaced the Morris Oxford Series II-derived Landmaster with deep headlamp cowls, small rear tail fins, a redesigned dashboard and steering wheel and a dimpled bonnet. Early cars used an Austin-derived 1,476 cc side-valve engine; in 1959 it gave way to the 1,489 cc overhead-valve BMC B-series. The Mark II (1963) added a Mini-style grille and the Mark III (1975) a louvred one; a limited batch of late-1970s Mark IIIs got 1,760 cc engines.
Collectors Spotted in the Hindustan Ambassador Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Hindustan Ambassador yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 BMC B-series OHV (55 bhp) | 1959–1979 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | 55 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Hindustan Motors looked to France for comfort: the Ambassador Grand's cabin acoustic insulation was engineered by the French supplier Trèves, not built in-house.
After more than three decades of the same basic Ambassador, the Nova update of 1990 finally modernized the fundamentals — new steering column, better brakes, better electricals.
The Mark 4 Ambassador's 1980 diesel variant was India's first-ever diesel car — and the government was so wary of it that private citizens weren't initially allowed to buy one.
In 1977 Hindustan bumped the Ambassador Mark III to a bigger 1760cc engine for one reason: there wasn't enough power left over to run a full air conditioner otherwise.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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