Small correction: The Ambassador was a licensed copy of the Morris Oxford, not Minor. They were a bit of a joke by the end of the run because there were so many nicer and more modern cars available from Maruti Suzuki, Tata, Toyota, Hyundai, and others. I don't know how old your friend was, but I can understand his feelings for the Ambassador as an icon in India. I was amused to see "AC Car - No Hand Signals" stickers on the back of the newer ones when I visited in 2005 and 2007.