[Mr_Bean]

My vote goes for Premier Padmini

Has anyone driven the early batch of ambassador, I recently drove my uncles 1960 model. It now runs with a diesel heart & tell you 15-20kms of driving in peak city traffic is much much better than working out in the gym for 2 hours. . Difficult to steer, unable to find the hand brake & with an after market AC I enjoyed every bit of it..

[SafeDrive]

Padmini for me. I love the looks of the Padmini more than the Amby.

[shortbread]

There should be a third option 'Neither'

Dont want to be mean or be a spoilsport but these cars remind me of the nightmare our Auto industry once was and the huge dissapointments these two car makers have become.

[Rubbertramps]

Premier Padmini is the first car i have driven.. and i still own it...

Nostalgic has got to do something with the heart.. !!!! Moments they were !!!

[W.A.G.7]

I would drive a Premier Padmini any day. We (actually my dad) had bought our very first family car; a white 1987 model Premier Padmini. It was used for 10 years in which it did around 60,000kms. My mother in fact loved the car so much that after that car, she didn't drive any other car after that! The engine and gearbox was flawless, we only sold it because the body had started rusting here and there and also we were getting a good price for it in '97.

I know there are a lot of FIAT lovers and restorers on the forum. The engine and gearbox were in pristine condition when it was sold; so if anyone from the Pune gang is interested in it, please PM me. Though I don't see the car parked nowadays in the parking of the person to whom it was sold, it may be still possible to locate it from the registration number and other details.

[iron]

Premier Padmini
my father owned one for 14 years.
it was bought in 1989 it was deluxe-be model white in color. it was driven for 51k+ kms. short trips, long trips all without any hassle
Sold the car in 2004 because it had started to rust and we were making frequent trips to the mechanic. I still have the dupilcate set of keys that came with the car.
I had also stored the car manual but then it got eaten by termites so had to throw it away. the car was in mumbai. the number was mh02-b-5105

[atrisarkar]

Voted for ambassador. This was the car I learnt to drive in and in those days we used to call the Jeep and the Amby the real cars. In West Bengal, the Ambys outnumbered the Padminis which were considered to be a lady's car.

[girishglg]

Came across this thread and got nostalgic all over again.

Would choose Amby for sure if these were the only two cars to pick from.

Amby for -

• Its built like a tank with great road presence
• High ground clearence matching many SUVs
• Best in class rear seats (still unbeatable)
• And yes this was the very first car I drove

[SaneOp]

Premier Padmini is my choice. I learnt driving on this car - kind of honed my mechanical acumen on this car. Our family had both Amby and Padmini but I always loved Padmini as it was more sporty of two. I have seen few padmini participating in himalayan car rally.

We owned Premier padmini S1, bought in 1995 sold in 2005. Done almost 125000 Kms on this one. Gave a mileage of 12Km/l. When I sold it felt part of me was given away. Would love to have it back - just like beetle and mini got reincarnated, wonder if they can reincarnate Premier Padmini.

[motorworks]

Premier padmini for sure! there was this variant 137D which my dad had like 15 years ago and it was sort of ok, way better than an ambassador diesel. It was zippy, easy to drive and very cheap. I remember that we had bought it for some 2.75 lakhs on road and diesel at that time was close to some 15 bucks, so running cost was nearly zilch! But the flip side to this car was that it came with bench seats, seat belts and an ash tray! No features absolutely! Many folks I knew had fitted bucket seats, floor gears, AC, Cassete player, fog lamps, sun films and then the car used to look like "wow"! I remember a padmini whose front lights and the whole metal portion which was with it were altered to make it look like porsche's lights( nothing close to porsche, but you get the idea).

[akj53]

Ambassador gets my vote.

It was our first car. My Papa bought a blue one in 1966. It was the most spacious car which could accommodate our small family, our huge Alsatian - Billu and of course few relatives also. I learned to drive in that and also taught others to drive. Its rear seat comfort is still unmatched. Of course it had its own idiosyncrasies but we still loved it. That was one of the best cars we had and we have very fond memories of Amby. Sold that in 1970 and bought an English Triumph Estate.

[Mister_M]

Another Ambassador vote here!

There were only 2 definitions I always had on my mind from the time I was a little boy:
The RE Bullets for a 2-wheeler : (My Nostalgia during those days: Any automobile with 2 wheels is a Bullet)
The HM Ambassador for 4-wheelers : (My Nostalgia during those days: Any automobile with 4 wheels is an Ambassador)

[Ashley Nair]

HM Ambassasor, any day. I learnt to drive in that car. It is the automotive cultural icon of India. Long live Amby.

[faustus77]

Hi everybody
I learnt on an Amby.
But I would anyday vote for Padmini.
Easier to drive and a lighter steering.Not to talk about easy availability of parts,at least in Mumbai.
Regards

[sureshurs]

Difficult choice to make. Grew up on Ambassadors as my DAD use to have an office ambassador. I traveled in Mark-1, II, III and IV amby's. Our first personal car was Premier Padmini and I used to take it on long drives and college meets.