[Jai3033]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

A story on a family's love for their Hindustans can be read here

The Hindu : Metro Plus Chennai / Wheels : The Amby family

Thanks a lot Karl! Thats my brother and nephew in the picture with our Hindustan 14. Infact I wanted to put this up on the day it appeared in the papers but did not know in which thread to post.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by Jai3033

Thanks a lot Karl! Thats my brother and nephew in the picture with our Hindustan 14. Infact I wanted to put this up on the day it appeared in the papers but did not know in which thread to post.

Small world. Do share some more photos of your collection of Hindusthan 14 and Ambys. Keep up the good work!

[karlosdeville]

A curious Premier Padmini wagon, probably locally coach built.



Premier SAB 25. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[harit]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

A curious Premier Padmini wagon, probably locally coach built.

Attachment 214924

Premier SAB 25. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Hey Karl, you should know this one in more detail. SAB is Starline Auto Builders. They built stationwagons on extended Padmini chassis, which were supplied by PAL with a longer rear door and without rear portion. Starline then built stationwagons on them and called them Safari.
This one was an experiment, built using some 118 parts, like headlight. Did not come out in any big series.
Have seen all Starline products as owner was staying in my building.

Cheers harit

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by harit

This one was an experiment, built using some 118 parts, like headlight. Did not come out in any big series.
Have seen all Starline products as owner was staying in my building.

Actually I have seen a similar one in Pune, MZA regd. Pics are on the forum, but I can't remember where.

Please do catch your ex neighbour for more stories, facts and figures - and of course, photos.

[karlosdeville]

A Hinduthan 14 can be found here

india : vintage AMBASSADOR DSC02740 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Karl / Harit - PAL never (repeat, never) extended the Padmini wheelbase, nor did they make any prototypes of extended wheelbase cars (HaHaHa, how could they ever?????). These cars were all extended by Deepak Chopra of Starline Motors only. He had also reduced the wheelbase of one car (MMH2600) which he used for the MASA rally of 1983 alongwith his navigator Shyam Punjabi (team "fox jackal"). The onky other dealer who dabbled in extending the Padmini wheelbase was Maha Auto but they did only one car, MAP1600, a cream coloured PP Standard. I had tested it in 1986, so I know. The whole car was absolutely atrocious, including totally wonky handling. MAP1600 had front bucket seats which could rotate by 90 degrees for ease of getting in and getting out. Essentially, all these projects were for "shine maroing" to the management and had nothing to do with any genuine attempt at vehicle development.

Just for academic information, we had also made Padmini prototypes with increased windshield rake angles. Two cars were made. Both looked horrible. They were never registered.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[harit]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Karl / Harit - PAL never (repeat, never) extended the Padmini wheelbase, nor did they make any prototypes of extended wheelbase cars (HaHaHa, how could they ever?????). These cars were all extended by Deepak Chopra of Starline Motors only. He had also reduced the wheelbase of one car (MMH2600) which he used for the MASA rally of 1983 alongwith his navigator Shyam Punjabi (team "fox jackal"). The onky other dealer who dabbled in extending the Padmini wheelbase was Maha Auto but they did only one car, MAP1600, a cream coloured PP Standard. I had tested it in 1986, so I know. The whole car was absolutely atrocious, including totally wonky handling. MAP1600 had front bucket seats which could rotate by 90 degrees for ease of getting in and getting out. Essentially, all these projects were for "shine maroing" to the management and had nothing to do with any genuine attempt at vehicle development.

Just for academic information, we had also made Padmini prototypes with increased windshield rake angles. Two cars were made. Both looked horrible. They were never registered.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Maybe you are right about not extending the chassis. But the rear door was longer on chassis supplied by PAL. And PAL supplied partly built cars, rear was certainly not complete, no dicky, I have seen that myself.

BTW, it was Dilip, not Deepak running Starline. Yes, I had seen that shortened car for rallying too.

As Karl suggested, I will see if I an get any material. They shut down years ago, hope not all has been thrown away.

Cheers harit

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Harit - the "half" cars were called PDA (Premier Drive Away) chassis and they DID have rear doors, but they were normal size doors. Rear fenders were there but the dicky was not there. Also, the sheet metal behind the rear seats was not there. There were 2 cross pipes in place in this area to keep the structure in place. There is no way PAL could have supplied longer rear doors because there was no tooling (they had a huge problem with tooling of the normal cars as it is). The half cars did not have paint also. The cars left Kurla plant in primed body condition.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[amit V8]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

A curious Premier Padmini wagon, probably locally coach built.

Attachment 214924

Premier SAB 25. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

this car actually looks nice. the finishing is good.

@ behram.dhabhar,

He had also reduced the wheelbase of one car (MMH2600).
The onky other dealer who dabbled in extending the Padmini wheelbase was Maha Auto but they did only one car, MAP1600, a cream coloured PP Standard.
Just for academic information, we had also made Padmini prototypes with increased windshield rake angles. Two cars were made. Both looked horrible. They were never registered.

any pictures??

[harit]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Harit - the "half" cars were called PDA (Premier Drive Away) chassis and they DID have rear doors, but they were normal size doors. Rear fenders were there but the dicky was not there. Also, the sheet metal behind the rear seats was not there. There were 2 cross pipes in place in this area to keep the structure in place. There is no way PAL could have supplied longer rear doors because there was no tooling (they had a huge problem with tooling of the normal cars as it is). The half cars did not have paint also. The cars left Kurla plant in primed body condition.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Dear Behram,

Somehow I am not convinced. There are Safari's which had longer doors and Chopra told me personally that these were factory supplied. If door was longer, would the chassis not be longer too?
Now I have to wait for him to visit Mumbai and till I meet him I cannot get this confirmed.

But why are we discussing this in a thread called Indian Built/assembled classic? The Safari cannot be considered a classic by any stretch of imagination.

Cheers harit

[karlosdeville]

A sight rare to be seen - a Badal in the streets of Delhi, 1994



Flickr Photo Download: Badal, Connaught Place, New Delhi, India circa 1994

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

A sight rare to be seen - a Badal in the streets of Delhi, 1994

Attachment 217050

Flickr Photo Download: Badal, Connaught Place, New Delhi, India circa 1994

Was it loosely based on reliant robin?

[canonball]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

A curious Premier Padmini wagon, probably locally coach built.

Attachment 214924

Premier SAB 25. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Karl these were made by Starline coach builders and sold on special order through premiers sales network as I recall some of them were stretched thus liberating Ton's of leg room for rear seat passenger. In the late 80's I saw some sexy limited edition ones with flared fenders, tasty alloys with balloon tyers and custom interiors with sunroof, eletric windows the works

Harit BTW they used Matador lights with different/thicker black trim.

Beheram I think with Premier sleeping on development these were decent alternatives to an otherwise boring market at least till 85

Behram some folks did do the raked & cut windscreen's with extended nose job privately and again for lack of any alternative in our boring markets they too looked kinda nice with the alloys saw them on the road and one upclose at midtown

[shankar.balan]

these jeeps (as per the picture) were quite common in the 80's -90's - used as ambulances, general people carriers, goods carriers and what have you.
my friend's dad had one of these in the Nilgiris - it was an office jeep. and these are by no means uncommon in the hilly areas even now - some of them are still used as taxis.

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Spotted this strange, possibly coachbuilt Jeep in Aurangabad.

Behram, you had mentioned to me about the MBW - Metal Bodied Wagonette, made by Mahindra. Is this is?