Taking A Stock 35 Year-Old Hindustan Contessa For A Highway Drive [Video]
The Hindustan Motors Contessa is often referred to as the Indian muscle car of its era. Now, mostly this sedan has become extinct from Indian roads. However, there are still a few gems that have been kept in pristine condition. Recently, a video showing one such immaculate-condition Hindustan Motors Contessa from 1989 has been shared online. It takes us back down memory lane.
1989 Hindustan Contessa
This video walkaround and review of the 1989 Hindustan Motors Contessa has been shared on YouTube by Retro Classics India. It starts off with a series of beauty shots of this red Contessa, which has been preserved with care. Following this, the vlogger mentions that this particular Contessa is a 1989 model, which makes it 34 years old.
He then highlights that the Contessa is based on the Vauxhall Victor, which was a very popular sedan from Britain. It was produced between 1957 and 1976. The Victor was sold with rectangular headlights, but the first generation of the Contessa in India was sold with twin circular headlights.
The vlogger then gives a brief exterior walkaround of this particular car. It can be noted that it is finished in the original red color with which it came from the factory. The car looks in mint condition, and the vlogger mentions that it has not been altered in any way. Both the bumpers, chrome parts, and lights are in perfect condition, and there are no visible dents or scratches on the vehicle.
Interior
Following the exterior walkaround, the vlogger then shows the interior of this sedan. For this, he opens the driver’s side door of the vehicle. After this, he shows the dashboard and door card of this Contessa. We can observe that this sedan came with a very simple yet functional interior.
The door card just has metal door handles, a window rolling handle, and a grab handle with a metal ashtray. The vlogger then shows the dashboard of the vehicle, which gets four air conditioning vents and AC controls in the middle.
Also, there is a modern 2-DIN audio system that has been recently added. Apart from this, there is also wooden trim on the dashboard and a deep glovebox. We note that the instrument cluster of this sedan is very simple and easy to read. There are also various lights for things like the parking brake, oil, battery, and others.
Hindustan Contessa engine
Following the interior highlights, the vlogger then shows the engine of this sedan. He mentions that the original Contessa was launched with a 1.8-litre inline four-cylinder SOHC carbureted engine. This petrol motor was capable of 88 bhp and 135 Nm of torque. It also came mated with a 5-speed manual transmission.
1984 Contessa on highway
After giving all the details of this iconic sedan, the vlogger, along with the owner of this car, goes for a drive on the highway. He mentions that even after being 34 years old, this sedan drives amazingly. He mentions that it can easily cruise at 80 kmph, and even after so many years, it still manages to grab the attention of other people driving on the road.
Is the Contessa coming back?
As stated earlier, the Hindustan Contessa is known as the muscle car of India. This sedan was very popular at the time; however, it could not compete with the more fuel-efficient hatchbacks and sedans that were being launched in the country during that era.
However, today things are different, and people are now willing to spend a lot of money on cars that they truly love. For this reason, many people are requesting for the Contessa to make a comeback.
Recently, there were a few rumors that Hind Motor Financial Corporation of India and Peugeot S.A., who own the Contessa brand name, are planning to bring it back. Whether this will become a reality or not is currently unknown.