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MAN AND MACHINE
Amby on anabolics
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From a little over 45 bhp to a whopping 165 horses, Divakar's 1963 Amby has grown some serious muscle
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AMBY-TIOUS? Divakar's enthusiasm for hot-rodding has given this humble, family toting Amby the power to literally scorch tarmac
Divakar's car belongs to a small Amby hot-rod club in the country. His 1963 Ambassador is equipped with an engine that exerts greater power, a new, more advanced suspension, wheels that look `obese', a music system that explodes like a bomb and a three-toned colour that plays tricks on the eyes. In the tradition of hot-rods, this car was purchased for a measly sum, and the improvements broke the bank.
However, the car was not acquired primarily for an exercise in hot-rodding. "My uncle bought it for Rs 11,000 and later tried gifting it to my dad. But Daddy would not touch it unless he was allowed to pay for it. My uncle would not accept anything more than Rs 5,000." As the car symbolised a close relative's goodwill, it was kept in fine fettle — which meant that original Amby parts always took the place of those that had outlived their use. But last year, partly in a fit of restlessness and partly in response to a long-felt desire to spice up his life, Divakar decided to replace many optimally functioning Amby parts with unlikely substitutes.
No sooner had the hot-rodding bug bitten him than he made plans to travel to Australia. He returned from Down Under with a 4500cc engine, originally meant for a Ford Falcon.
Thanks to lean wings with sharp, almost piercing ends, the falcon is a bird that is swift in the air. And the Ford Falcon is considered a car that was admirably quick on the road. Due to this reputation, it was the undisputed choice for police patrol work in Australia. Cinema is essentially fictional, but what makes us buy the fiction are the numerous elements from real life that support it. For that touch of reality, the Mad Max series of films relied, among other things, on the Ford Falcon. The Falcon was a victim of stereotyping — it had to play police patrol car in these films. Let's cut to the chase. How did the Falcon's straight-six fit in? Divakar effected a six-inch frontal extension to the Amby. Other inevitable changes followed. The suspension was overhauled. It required four disc brakes to rein in a car now clearly drunk on power.
This Amby hollers for attention, inside and outside. A 6,000 watt Sony Xplod apparatus is hogging the space behind the driver, having ruthlessly dislodged the rear seat. Spitfire meters from United States are a frill that provides evidence that Divakar was not at all counting the cost.
PRINCE FREDERICK
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