The Hindustan Ambassador remains one of the most iconic cars in India. It has a timeless appeal. There are many neatly restored and rebuilt Ambassadors in our country. However, this particular example from Punjab stands out from the rest. It isn’t a sedan. It imagines the Ambassador as a capable pickup truck. A video shared on the channel Harbhej Sidhu shows the vehicle up close.
This build is based on a 2010 Hindustan Ambassador- a car that’s seen as a symbol of prestige and authority. These traits are preserved on this pickup version as well. It looks like a regular Ambassador till the B-pillar. The long hood, circular headlamps, wide grille, metal front bumper and even the front sun-shade have been retained without a change.
Visible changes include large indicator lamps that are positioned on front fenders, retry-looking aux-lamps, circular mirrors, a large ‘Ambassador’ and ‘HM’ logos on the front grille, aftermarket LED projector and elements for the headlamps.
The vehicle now has a three-door design- two doors for accessing the front seats and a third to access the luggage bay. The conversion has been executed well. There is great attention to detail. The owner has a deep interest in vintage motorcycles and runs a garage specialising in superbike repairs. The Amby pickup truck has been designed to align well with the peculiar demands of this business. The luggage bay is large enough to comfortably accommodate motorcycle and transport them.
Circling back to the design, the truck has its bodywork chopped off beyond the B-pillar. The rear doors have been removed. The deck starts from the B-pillar and extends all the way back. The design appears to be quite cohesive and classy. The fuel tank sits on the left side and was completely redesigned to fit inside the new body work. The rear wheel arches, rear bumper and bumper resemble those of the original Ambassador. A large, classy ‘Ambassador’ lettering can be seen on the tailgate.
The deck itself has been made of wood and can carry a good amount of weight. The woodwork here has a textured finish. It even has a hidden bench seat which can be accessed using a key. This clever integration will provide extra seating capacity when needed.
The tailgate is custom-made and lockable. Its design blends seamlessly with the rest of the vehicle. You will also notice Chrome embellishments on the rear bumper and tail lamp cluster. Even the rear section of the cabin is completely custom-made. It looks surprisingly good.
The owner in this case, drives the Amby pickup on a regular basis. He even drives it to Himachal Pradesh with motorcycles, camping gear and other essentials, loaded in its deck. This pickup truck is powered by a petrol engine paired with a manual transmission. It continues to have a rear-wheel drive layout. The owner has, however, added an aftermarket exhaust system to the package.
Hindustan Motors once had a pickup truck version of the Ambassador on sale in India. It was called the Veer here. In some export markets it was sold as the Ambassador Porter. When launched in India in 2011, it belonged to the small commercial vehicle (SCV) segment, capable of carrying 0.8 tonnes.
The Veer was based on the Ambassador platform, but came with a reworked transmission and suspension systems. It was available in two variants- Veer and Veer LX. The latter had its load tray seamlessly integrated with the front cabin.
This custom-built Ambassador resembles the Veer LX to a great extent. Interestingly, it feels better-designed in comparison! The design here, feels more balanced and appealing. A custom-built car feeling better-drawn and better put-together than the factory version is not something that we come across often.