Remember Hindustan Motors' iconic Contessa? Here is its EV concept avatar
- The old Contessa, which introduced a lot of firsts in India as far as luxury is concerned, is barely recognisable in its new avatar.
A group of Indian designers has reimagined the old classic Contessa car from the Hindustan Motors. Mightyseed Designs is a Kerala-based company which came out with the renders recently of the Contessa EV that appears like any other modern electric car.
The concept is an official invitation for Hindustan Motors by Mightyseed Designs to re-enter the Indian market with an electric powertrain concept.
The concept version of the car looks nothing like the original if one compares the exterior design. The electric version of the Contessa is much more like a modern incarnation with sleek styling cues and a coupe-like feature. In a nutshell, it looks like a modern car with barely any retro feel to it.
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93.4 kwh
302 km
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The front wears a bolder look than the original one with a rectangle shaped grille section that also houses the LED headlight strips and the Hindustan Motors logo. The three-door car does not get any door handles or rear-view mirrors. Instead it has cameras placed as ORVMs. The 10-spoke wheels with low ground clearance gives the concept car a rather sportier look than the original version.
The sloping roofline gives the Contessa EV Concept the coupe-like appearance which may remind one of the Porsche Taycan. The tail-light is a long narrow strip running across the bonnet underlined by the Contessa badging.
The company has not revealed much about the interiors of the Contessa EV Concept, an aspect that set its predecessor apart from other Indian cars 40 years ago. However, the company said that cabin space has been a major influence in the design of the car.
Besides the iconic Ambassador, West Bengal-based Hindustan Motors had came out with Contessa, a premium luxury car, in the 1980s. Hindustan Motors had acquired the technology from the UK-based Vauxhall company and began production of the Contessa car at its plant near Uttarpara, West Bengal in 1982. In 1984, Hindustan Motors came out with the first of the Contessa cars. It remained in production till 2002, before it was phased out.
The Contessa was particularly popular among the Indian elites during the 80s and the 90s. Contessa's interiors, including ACs, were unique to the customers back then. It was also equipped with power steering, central locking system, central armrest and more at the time when all of this was luxury in India.
