Hindustan 14
The Hindustan 14 was the first car to be manufactured in India by Hindustan Motors in 1950. Originally the car was a Morris Oxford being imported from England.
Hindustan Motors Limited , was once India's pioneering automobile manufacturing company. It was established just before Indian independence, in 1942 by Mr. B. M. Birla of the industrialist Birla family in collaboration with Lord Nuffield of Morris Motors who were already selling their cars in India. Commencing operations in a small assembly plant in Port Okha near Gujarat, the manufacturing facilities later moved to Uttarpara, West Bengal in 1948, where it began the production of the Morris designed Hindustan Ambassador. The HM-Mitsubishi Motors Plant is in Tiruvallur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu.
Post-Independence in 1948, vehicle production was shifted to a new green field plant spread over a large area in Uttarpara, West Bengal. The first car to roll out from the Uttarpara plant was the Hindustan 10, based on the Morris 10.Then after Hindustan 14 and baby Hindustan were also rolled out based on Morris 14 and Morris minor respectively
My Hindustan 14 has a 1500cc engine with side valves and it’s top speed was approx 110kmph.
I bought my 1950 Hindustan 14 in a bad condition in 2006 and it took me, a workshop owner, to restore it to its present condition after 9 months. I presented it in March 2007 to my younger daughter on her 18th Birthday.
Neville Ginwala