Can you really turn an Ambassador into a Peugeot?
Khodrocar -Remember 'The Sculptor', the Peugeot advert from the early 2000s where an Indian motorist turns his Hindustan Ambassador into a Peugeot 206? Well, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the car, which became the French manufacturer's best-selling car, Top Gear magazine has recreated the advert for real.
This time the Ambassador has been transformed into a 208 – the car that takes the 206's place in the Peugeot product lineup these days. The original wasn't actually a converted Ambassador (sorry), but rather a battered and bruised 206.
The homage to the 2003 advert, that was filmed in Jaipur and depicted a young man converting his Ambassador into a 206 after seeing the car in a newspaper advert, used a team of engineers from Ajeenkya D Y Patil University, based in Pune, India. They spent a number of months converting the iconic Indian car that started life as a Morris Oxford into a 208 GTi.
'It’s been 15 years since "The Sculptor" advert appeared on TV screens and as Peugeot has recently acquired the Ambassador brand, it seemed a fitting way to mark the 206’s anniversary year,' said Peugeot marketing director Mark Pickles. 'The outstanding work that the Ajeenkya D Y Patil University team has put into the vehicle modification has been incredible to watch.
'The anniversary of the Peugeot 206 is a great opportunity to recognise the vehicle’s success in becoming the company's best-selling model of all time. On sale between 1998 and 2008, the 206’s reliable build and iconic design made it a popular choice of vehicle.'
Ashish Nar, Head Designer at DYPDC School of Design of the Ajeenkya D Y Patil University, added: 'It has been an exciting and very valuable opportunity working with Peugeot to create this concept vehicle. To see the original Hindustan Ambassador parked in the workshop and to then be a part of its transformation into a new, shiny PEUGEOT 208 GTi is extremely rewarding for all of the team, in particular the students who had the chance to be a part of this project.'
Source: .motor1
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