A small get together of avid car collectors held at the picturesque Tamil Nadu-Kerala border on Sunday turned out to be a mega crowd puller. The 25 km drive made by the cavalcade of cars along the border between the two States caught the attention of the general public. Twenty four Contessa cars, the first of its kind luxury cum muscle car made in India by the Birla Group- owned Hindustan Motors, literally ruled the highway for an hour as no passers-by could resist the temptation to turn their heads towards these well maintained and gleaming vehicles.
“They look so aristocratic. Beautiful cars,” said Rashid, who had stopped his brand new red BMW along the road to see the Contessas driving past in a regal parade. Cars from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and the five northern districts of Kerala took part in this mini inter-State rally held as a mark of respect to the first queen of the Indian roads. “Most of these cars were owned by VIPs of the Government. They were the status symbols once,” said Naveen, an office bearer of the Conty Club of India, an alliance of Contessa owners in South India. Naveen’s Contessa, collected in an auction held by the Government of India, had ferried a former Vice-President of the country through the roads of the national capital.
Naveen, an avid collector of Ambassadors and Contessa, said the Sunday meeting and rally was to discuss about common issues faced by the owners in getting sparte parts and specialised services. “These cars are alien to the new generation. These vehicles are our only link to the past and the present of the Indian automobile industry,” he said.
The HM, the manufacturers of Ambassadors and Contessas, phased out the Contessas by 2002 and stopped production of the Ambys in 2014. “It was a painful event of the Indian auto history. We still hope and pray that the Ambassador and Contessa are brought back to life,” said Anjan Chatterjee, a lawyer as well as vintage car collector.
Anjan remembered that the Contessa was marketed withy the catchword “all the comforts of a luury car with the strength to ride the roughest roads”. Owners of HM may salute these youngsters for the love and care with which these cars are maintained. “Contessa was India’s muscle car. Though there were two competitors in the market for the car, the Premier 118NE and the Maruti 1000, Contessa was well ahead of them. It was the most sought after car by politicians, rich and famous , corporate sector and tycoons alike,” reminiscences Anjan.
According to Anjan, most of the Contessa competitors, like Daewoo Cielo, Ford Escort, Opel Astra, Peugot 309, have faded from public memory and from the roads too. “I am sure the new found love for Contessa is bound to multiply,” he said.
Naveen and the CCI are working out a major event. “We are planning a South Indian rally of Contessa cars as a mark of respect as well as our passion for this historical machine,” said Naveen.
