Hindustan Motors, a flagship of Hinduja Group, has been present in the Indian car market for a long time. Although the company has toned down its operations in India, it is still counted among classic brands of the country's history. Out of all the models manufactured by the company, Contessa Classic is considered as one of the most popular, which earned a lot of acclaim. This car was based on the GM Vauxhall Victor FE and made its entry into India by 1983. At that time, if was one of the few locally manufactured luxury cars in the market, a notable achievement. As the competition comprised Standard 2000, this Hindustan Motors car made significant inroads in the country.
The car was mainly preferred by government officials at that time along with the Ambassador model, which is still available in the market. Notably, due to its elongated exteriors, this car managed to become a symbol of class and luxury in India. At that time, owning a car in India was considered to be a big deal and only the elite could afford to do so. Considering this, anyone possessing a Contessa Classic was regarded as a person from high society.
In terms of engine configurations, the initial version was fitted with a 1.5-litre BMC B-Series unit that also powered Ambassador at that time. This engine generated 50 bhp of maximum output, which powered the car to a top speed of 125 kmph. Here, it is noteworthy to mention that Contessa Classic was the first Indian car that was fitted with vacuum disc brakes. It featured an excellent power steering, which facilitated easy manoeuvring of the car.
One of the USPs of Contessa Classic was its air-conditioning system, which was really powerful. Despite its pros, the major drawback of this car was the working of suspension system that did not do well on bumpy roads. Although this model was discontinued in the year 2002, it still features in discussions of analysts. To this day, a lot of automobile aficionados possess this car and do everything possible to keep it in top condition. In fact, Contessa Classic is the only Indian model that can be truly characterised as a 'Muscle Car' due to its resemblance to American vehicles.
