[travancore]

The birth of a true icon; and one that lasted six decades in its various avatars. Captured through the lens of a LIFE photographer, 1951. I believe the ethereal quality of these pictures deserves its own thread!

Part I:

[travancore]

Part II:












Notice one American cousin in the left lane in the above picture

[travancore]

Part III:

The Master of the Land



And by now, we have a newer American cousin and a new American visitor (Walter Reuther, President of the United Autoworkers of America, UAW)

[travancore]

Part IV: Miscellaneous



Iranian Delegation, 1953 -not a LIFE photo




Americans lined up - this is awful hot, here in India!




Walter Reuther on his tour - of all things in a "Tommy" car

[Ashley Nair]

As you said, the quality of the photographs are amazing, to say the least. Besides, even before 67 years, the factory has all the basic set up of today's automated manufacturing process ! Feel so sad that the real national car of India is no more.

[Flyer]

It's really sad that even after decades of monopoly in India HM couldn't catch up with its competition. A modern ambassador with improved interiors and standard safety features would have sold in decent numbers today, even with the same design. I wish Tata or Mahindra had bought the Ambassador brand from HM, rather than Peugeot. The sentimental factor is now lost.

[PearlJam]

I distinctly remember that the last Ambassador (with beige interiors ) was officially reviewed on team-bhp. Showed how far the ambassador had come, and how far it still needs to go!

But I can't find that link now. Could somebody please mention that here, thanks.

[V.Narayan]

Thank you Travancore. What a treat for the eyes and for history. Whatever one's view is of HM the Ambassador is a part of our history like the Ford T is of America's. We'll have to re-christen you as the Photo King.:-)

[vijayshouree]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

I distinctly remember that the last Ambassador (with beige interiors ) was officially reviewed on team-bhp. Showed how far the ambassador had come, and how far it still needs to go!

But I can't find that link now. Could somebody please mention that here, thanks.

Here it is :
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ve-review.html (2009 Ambassador Grand BS-3 2.0 Turbo Diesel and 1800 ISZ MPFI: Test drive and review)


-Shouri

[Lone Ranger]

Fantastic thread, thank you! Nothing comes close to Black and white photography when it comes to story telling and many of LIFE's pictures are classics! These images are almost like time portals, taking you straight back in time.

[kaushal21fb]

Wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing!

Kicks off both nostalgia and grief, seeing our prior generations working bare hands with gas cutters, paint guns (handkerchiefs and cloths as mask) and tools, in almost conditions that'll be considered inhuman in these days.

Respect, to the unsung heroes who helped build this country, making many own luxury/cars in this time.

[anjan_c2007]

Thanks Travancore. The pictures are rare and now a part of our automobile history. We have seen the assembly line pictures of the Hindustan 14 (Phase I, 1949-51) ,the Landmaster (1954-57) (Morris Oxford Series II) , the Studebaker Champion (Bullet Nose) Sedan and the Studebaker 2 R 16 or 17 truck, which were all the mainstays of HM during then.

The earliest model of the Hindustan 14 is shown here. Incidentally, the later Hindustan 14 (Phase II ,1952-54) (Morris Oxford MO Series) had a two piece front grille. I am calling it Phase I and II, to distinguish these two models though Morris did not name them as such. This two piece grille of the later Hindustan 14 (1952-54) would continue to be the front facade for the next in line Morris Oxfords Series II (Landmaster) and Series III (Ambassador) .

The reason recorded for the ushering in and for popularity of the two piece grille by Morris Motors (it had by then become the huge conglomerate British Motors Corporation (BMC) by early 1952) was that complaints were received from owners, that if the Morris Oxford MO Series with the single piece grille got bashed up from the front, rather than a piecemeal change, the whole grille had to be replaced. Sir William Morris (founder), later known as Lord Nuffield heard the grievances and the two piece grille soon came along. The other distinguishing feature of the later model of the Morris Oxford MO Series (1952-54, Phase II) is its Smiths meter cluster. The clock and the speedometer had a black dialled outer periphery (annular space) in this new model. So also the black outer periphery was ushered in for the three smaller gauges for oil, fuel and electric current (AMPS) which continued to be rectangular. The earlier model (1949-51) had fully off white dials for all the five gauges.

We also see the United Auto Workers (UAW) , USA leader's visit to the HM factory in the pictures. Studebaker workers in its main factory in Indiana, USA, and also retirees were among the highest paid and never faced a UAW strike. The wages versus profits showed in their not so positive balance sheets, since the early 1950's. Stiff competition from Ford and GM brought in tough days for the company, financially. Despite the newer merger and acquisition in the 1950's (in 1954, it was merged with Packard), Studebaker perished by 1963 (last car rolled out from Indiana in December 1963) and the company became defunct by December 1967. Its Ontario, Canada plant produced the last cars in 1967.

In India, the control regime for cars came into play in the mid 1950's. Manufacturers were given licence for at the most one designated and licenced car and one truck model, to be assembled from imported CKD kits and later fully indiginised and made in India. Hence, Studebaker was a casualty alongwith many other famous foreign brands in India. By 1965, indiginisation was almost total.

Studebaker cars are iconic for their quality and reliability.

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The earliest model of the Hindustan 14 is shown here. Incidentally, the later Hindustan 14 (Phase II ,1952-54) (Morris Oxford MO Series) had a two piece front grille. I am calling it Phase I and II, to distinguish these two models though Morris did not name them as such. This two piece grille of the later Hindustan 14 (1952-54) would continue to be the front facade for the next in line Morris Oxfords Series II (Landmaster) and Series III (Ambassador) .

Were not the later model Hindustan 14 marketed as Hindustan Newlook ?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by travancore

The birth of a true icon; and one that lasted six decades in its various avatars. Captured through the lens of a LIFE photographer, 1951. I believe the ethereal quality of these pictures deserves its own thread!

What a treasure trove of photographs from another era! Having visited that factory as a kid, and the abandoned township earlier this year as a mark of nostalgia (thanks to D-BHPian Samba - this place is practically walking diatance from his home), it was sad to see the decrepit condition of the ghost town that made the cars almost everyone in India rode in, in the 20th century.









The hospital died from lack of treatment!


The two following pics are of the different types of staff quarters, where I've stayed in the 1980s, since my uncle used to work for HM.

[dileepcm]

While the quality of photos is extremely high, the quality of life of low-level workers in particular was clearly at the very lower end of the spectrum. Many are seen with torn shirts, one or two with no shirts at all, one of them having lunch at dirty floor and so on! I have a tough time appreciating the content of the photos from an 'automotive' point of view as it more and more reminds me of any other sweat shops. Just my thought!