Five most loved Indian cars from the 1980s

Maruti 800 requires no introduction in India. The 800 was a small city car manufactured in India between 1983 - 2014. This car was based on the 1979 Suzuki Fronte and had an 800cc F8B engine. The popularity of this car can be gauged from the fact that around 28 lakh Maruti cars were built during its course out of which 26.6 lakh cars were sold in India alone. The Maruti 800 was equipped with a three-cylinder engine capable of churning out 40PS of power and 57Nm of torque. The car was able to sprint from 0-100kmph in 18.8 seconds with a maximum speed of 130kmph.  

2. Premier Padmini

Premier Padmini was manufactured in India between 1964 to 2000 by Premier Automobiles Limited under license from Fiat. This car was initially marketed as the Fiat 1100 Delight and was later christened as the  Premier Padmini in 1973. The Fiat 1000D debuted in India in 1964 with a  carburetted 1,089 cc four-cylinder engine which delivered 40PS of power and 71Nm of torque. The engine was paired to a four-speed manual gearbox. By the early 80s Premiere then offered a more powerful version of the Padmini with a bump in the output to 44PS. The company also began to offer the Padmini with an air-conditioning system, tinted glasses, which was a luxury in Indian cars at the time.

3. Hindustan Ambassador

Hindustan Ambassador was manufactured in India between 1958 to 2014. This car was the most sturdy vehicle built in its time, and hence was a preferred choice of several bureaucrats. Modelled after the British Morris Oxford, the Ambassador was the first car to be made in India, according to the company. The car, however, lost its dominance in the mid-1980s when Maruti introduced its 800 hatch.

4. Standard 2000

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Manufactured by Standard Motor Products, a company based out in Chennai, the Standard 2000, was introduced in India in 1985 and was powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine mated to a four-speed manual transmission. The engine delivered 83PS of power at 4,250rpm which helped the car hit a top-speed of 145kmph.

5. Hindustan Contessa

After having produced the Ambassador for almost three decades, Hindustan Motors decided to introduce a more modern car in the Indian market. The carmaker acquired the production tooling and technology of the Vauxhall Victor, a car that was phased out in the UK in 1979 and set up a production line alongside the Ambassador at Uttarpara near Kolkata. The carmaker launched the Contessa in India in 1983 and was a popular choice among government officials. The HM Contessa was equipped with a 1.5-litre BMC B-Series engine paired with a four-speed gearbox which delivered 50PS of power. The car had a top-speed of 125kmph. The Contessa’s production ended in 2002.