This Ford Mustang Is Actually A HM Contessa Underneath - VIDEO

by Chandrutpal Kashyap | 11/05/2021
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The HM Contessa was looked light years ahead of its competitors when it arrived in 1984. It instantly became an icon for its elegant design. A favourite among modifiers, check out this Contessa that looks like a Ford Mustang.

Following the various iterations of the Ambassador, Hindustan Motors launched the Contessa in 1984 as the automaker’s newest offering in the Indian market. Based on the 1978 Vauxhall Victor, the Contessa was on sale till 2002, a nearly two-decade run in the market. Even though it was quite a straightforward design, the Contessa looked far more modern than the Ambassador with its 3-box silhouette and straight yet purposeful lines. The sedan is still loved by enthusiasts for its design, and many of them are being restored or modified today. Today we came across this modified Contessa that looks like a first-generation Ford Mustang Mach-1.

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The video has been uploaded by Retro Classics India in which we can see this modified HM Contessa and the modification process. The sedan is stripped apart of everything and then reprofiled and sculpted to look like a Ford Mustang. After the general shape is done, primer is applied before the paint coat is applied. In the video, we can see two such Contessa mods being readied to be painted.

The final product is very impressively done. For the unknown eye, the HM Contessa looks very similar to the Ford Mustang Mach 1. It gets the same sharp nose design and quad headlights. There’s a new bonnet that is longer and features a large air intake on the top. This modified Contessa also neatly integrates the same air scoops that debuted on the 1969 Mustang. Over to the side, you can see the fastback rear profile with a raked C-pillar that was a signature Mustang Mach 1 feature. The rear-end of the modified Contessa gets a ducktail spoiler, a centre-mounted fuel-filler behind the logo and triple slat taillights, a first-generation Mustang signature. There are go-faster stripes running down the centre while the vehicle now sits on 18-inch deep-dish alloys.

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This Ford Mustang Is Actually A HM Contessa Underneath - VIDEO

The interior has been completely revised as well. The instrument console remains the same while there’s a new retro three-spoke steering wheel. The cabin is finished in a similar shade of red as the exterior and also gets black leather on the door handles, centre console and instrument binnacle for a dual-tone theme. The stock gear level has been binned for a T-bar lever that mimics the Mustang’s. The HM Contessa came with an Isuzu sourced 1.8-litre diesel motor, and we think the same engine is doing duty under the hood. Even then, it is one of the most comprehensively done modifications you’ll come across in a fair while.

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