Quote Originally Posted by carlocaraddict
hmmmmm....did this car reach our shores? I am not familiar with it.
It saw heavy use in South Asia in the 80s among the luxury segment. It was valued at INR 5,00,000 (like 5,50,000 pesos) then. They did export them but mostly for the USSR for use by party bosses. Not sure how many cars made it to ASEAN countries though...

anyway, if you're looking for a smooth ride and you like your car's ride already, why not tune up/freshen the car with manufacturer-spec parts?
The government phased out the car after HM was privatized. This was in 2001. So, HM no longer offers support for the Contessa. I can manage the engine with some looking around, but the suspension really worries me.

I mean, is it worth repairing the existing parts (esp. suspension) considering the car was made in 1983???? The problem is that most cars today use the McPherson suspension system. The contessa uses the 5 link independent cross member mounted suspension. Can you get parts for such suspension systems nowadays?? Has anybody worked with such suspension systems? As far as I can see, this is the only real challenge I'll be facing.

Anyway, here's the link to more specs:

http://auto.indiamart.com/cars/contessa/index.html