[vnabhi]

What I miss the most are:-
1. The floor-mounted dipper switch
2. The front quarter panels for directing air
3.Speedometers calibrated in Miles per hour (Amby Mark 1)
4.The steel ring on the steering wheel for the horn.
5. The 'kick 'em in the ***' steel bumpers.

[Mad Max]

Ah, memories.

I still have my 1963 Amby, btw and so, in my mind's eye, I can see what each of you are talking about. It stands covered in the back of the house. Trying to earn a bit more money so that I can get it running.

Things I loved the most:

1. We could fit as many people as were there for the beach trip. 4? 6? 9? how about 13? Alright then. Sit one row, make the next row sit on the first row's lap. Make the children stand. The driver sat at an angle. And most of the time, had someone else operate switches too far away to reach.

2. The column shift. I remember the good ol days when the 800 was launched and the owners would snobbishly look down upon the Amby. But in the highway, it was the king. Just when the Suzuki engine ran out of breath, the British motor was just getting started. : You'd give the driver you are overtaking a "racer" look, downshift into third and then hit the gas. Well, you'd still be side by side for a few minutes or so when the Amby picks up pace but, isn't that time for trash talkin?!

3. The all-rounder. Coconuts from the farm? No problem. How about medicine boxes? Meh, lets not hire an auto, we have the car!! Anyway you can shift this grinder from our house to yours? sure, load it up, tie the ends together for reduced noise and hop along.

4. The ring that was the horn. It honked only in certain places and only the driver knew where to hit it. Hilarity ensued when there is a need to honk and the driver is frantically pressing all over the ring trying to find the right place for the horn to sound. Add to that the indicator that was in the middle of the steering wheel, it was quite fun to see the driver trying to honk, turn on the indicator and turn in the general direction.

5. The electronics. Well, there wasn't much. The wipers were power driven. And the wiring often came loose from the switch. So one person would drive and the other would hold the wires in their hand from behind the dashboard, and drive through the monsoon rains in full speed. Yelling "Wiper!" would result in the other person touching the wires together and it would cause a momentary vision of the road / bullock cart ahead.

6. The body, or should we say armour. I think we've pushed a few bullock carts, tap-danced with a few buses and sent a few scooterists flying. And everything remains intact till date.

150000Rs more to go for the restoration. Wish me luck!!

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

What I miss the most are:-
5. The 'kick 'em in the ***' steel bumpers.

If i had a car with such bumpers, quite a few autoricks would have had my signature inscribed on them by now!

[DileepKS]

Things I miss in the Fiesta that I had in the Padmini:

1. Raju, the friendly workshop guy! Used to see and chat with him often then. The half yearly visit to Kairali Ford is no fun
2. The leaky roof, and mixing m-seal (at least a kg in toto).
3. The intoxicating petrol smell.
4. The locking up brakes
5. Excercise to the arm and chest muscles.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

4. The ring ... Add to that the indicator that was in the middle of the steering wheel...

Aah, the good ol' indicator switch on the top of the horn, which you could flip right or left--how did I forget that?

Originally Posted by benbsb29

If i had a car with such bumpers, quite a few autoricks would have had my signature inscribed on them by now!

No wonder autos do make way for Ambys even today. Their smart *** driving skills must have led to their *** smarting under the impact.

[carbaliga]

Some of my old nostaligic memories on our Mark2 and Mark3 Amby
- The hand brakes hidden near the driver's door, since it was of minimal use the hand brakes never used to work.
- The "heater" switch in the Diesel Amby (Matador engine), press the switch for a couple of minutes in the morning before you hit the ignition key.
- the glovebox on the right side of steering column which was a sweet spot for your "ICE" or cassette player
- Box type rectangle speakers on the rear shelf.
- Multiple "pull type" switches and multi-coloured lights (always was confused what the lights signify)

Cheers!!!

[sudipt123]

well described mad_max, "pure nostalgia" for the mark 2 ambassador. Not to mention the max 90 MPH speedo on the Dash!

[sujithnk]

I Don't think even if i had a light option in my engine bay it would be of any help in my 530D .
most of the stuff are computers and they even attach the car to a computer to diagnose .

[elfhelm]

Is it just me or is it just me?

Even today among cars revving up at a traffic signal just before it turns green, I loooooove the way the Premier Padmini engine sounds.
I doesn't do much by way of motion, but it sure sounds great .

We used to have the original Fiat 1100 Deluxe.

Had to sell.

Sigh.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by swale84

Pull out type door handles.
They seem to be making a comeback though

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

Absolutely! And in a more friendly way. I still remember how I struggled to open the doors of our Amby as a little kid. Compared to that the newer ones are extremely easy and they looks as good . You can chrome plate it to look like the old ones.

IIRC the Amby didn't have pull out type door handles. The old Fiats did.

[sushrutha]

Hmmm ...
Does anyone remember there used to be a Heater button(Heat the engine before cranking the car) in diesel ambassador
Voltmeter, Oil pressure indicator(it exists but now, but not with a meter to indicate now), Etc

[suman]

Originally Posted by elfhelm

We used to have the original Fiat 1100 Deluxe.

If you're talking about the 1100D, the D stands for Delight.

Had a 1967 model - amazing car it was in its time (siggghhhh)

[swale84]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

IIRC the Amby didn't have pull out type door handles. The old Fiats did.

The amby had the protruding type grab handle, with a push button to get the door open.

A modern adaptation is seen on the Scorpio (IIRC), which has a grab handle with a lever inside which is pressed to open the door. A lot neater and probably easier to execute than a complete pull out type in my opinion.

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

Ah, memories.

150000Rs more to go for the restoration. Wish me luck!!

Loved your writeup Madmax.

And I wish you good luck for the restoration!

[Thad E Ginathom]

The older door handles (of my UK childhood) were handles that turned, like the door handles in a house. Then came solid handles with a knob to push. We thought this was posh!