DC’s Amberoid – A tribute to the Ambassador

Amidst all the furore being raised over the unveiling of the 1 lakh car - Tata’s Nano, and all the new releases and the revamped models sat the amazing and revolutionary Amberoid, designed by Dilip Chabria. The limelight was however stolen by the Nano and a whole slew of new cars and this car never got the attention it deserved.

The BMW unveiled the awesome M3, touted to be the fasted sedan in the world, the 6-series convertible, the X3 and X5, and the 3, 5, and 7 series super luxury cars. From the Merc stable, came the new C-class. Volvo unveiled their cars like the XC70 and also the SUV , the GM group unveiled the Captiva, Audi unveiled it’s A – 4,6,8 series and well the list of cars go on. The Amberoid was however the most awesome concept car and the fact that it was designed by an Indian is something to be really proud of.

The Ambassador is one of the first cars to have hit the Indian roads. It was and still is manufactured by the Hindustan Motors. It has a body so hard that if it is involved in a collision the car which hits the Amby (as it is lovingly called) takes more damage and the amby escapes with just a scratch and the passengers also remain safe(a little exaggeration though). It is not a very stable car and neither is it a fun car to drive. It has been in existence for almost eternity and though there are hundreds of modern designs with amazing performances in the present market, Amby still survived. There are still people who are loyal to it (it is secondary that getting rid of it is a big problem because there are no buyers). A lot of changes have been made to it, mostly to the interiors and to the engine.It has been made more drivable but the body still remains the same. It is still in production as most of the politicians use them because it is a ‘Made in India’ car. The current politicians though are now shifting their loyalties to more contemporary cars like the Safari’s and Scorpio’s but most of the older politicians still use the ambassador. It is also currently being used as a taxi throughout India.

Come 2008 and Dilip Chabria (DC) came up with this awesome new design for the Ambassador and renamed it the Amberoid(very apt) and showcased it at the Auto Expo 2008. He still stuck to the basic design but made a lot of cosmetic changes. The amberoid is ravishing in all aspects. It defies all laws and boasts of a Rolls Royce V-12 engine. Inspired by the hotrod racers of the past, with a short body housing a massive engine, the Amberoid has gullwing doors and cocoons the occupants in luxurious space age interiors within a blue – lit cabin. The amberoid priced at Rs. 4 crore is a stunning study in contemporary design, drawing on elements of the past recreating a futuristic wholly drivable car. DC hopes to sell 10 such units this year - a very ambitious proposal(but will there be buyers?).