DC
DESIGN AVANTI SPORTS CAR
The
DC Avanti will be the first made-in-India supercar when it is launched for the
Indian market. The Avanti in concept form was unveiled at the 2012 Auto Expo
and then for the 2014 edition, DC Design brought the production- ready version
of the car.
During
the show the carmaker had announced that they would commence production of the
car at their manufacturing facility located in Gujarat but added that the
initial models will be built at their Talegaon facility in Pune.
Test
mules of the vehicle have been sighted several times in and around Maharashtra.
Most of these test vehicles have different sets of headlights and tail lamps,
with many other makeshift components. This suggests that DC Design might be
conducting some final tests of the production version of this car.
Exterior
The
Avanti appears to have been modelled on the lines of the Ferrari 458 Italia.
The nose of the car is dominated by a massive mesh air intake and trapezoid
bumper. The head lamps are bi-xenon units while there are LED DRLS shaped like
eyebrows for the headlamps. Keeping true to its sports car heritage, the Avanti
has a long and low bonnet that dips in the middle giving prominence to the DC
logo and a single air vent located on top.
The
side profile is low and long with a sharply raked windscreen and rear roofline
that disappears into the engine bay behind the cabin. The pillars as well as
the top of the roof have been painted in black. It appears to be sitting on
large 18-inch wheels which carry a very specific DC design.
At
the back the most dominating factor is the engine obviously which is covered in
body coloured glass to help it merge into the background. DC has shaped the
tail lamps as low, sleek units that sit sandwiched between the bumper and the
edge of the engine cover.
Interior
The
Avanti is a two-seater with the entire cabin being kitted out in what appears
to be quilted out leather. This material is on the seats, dashboard, doors and
space between the seats. The instrument cluster, steering wheel and more noticeably
the AC are all basic units. We expect that DC will offer some more additional
features, which will be standard in the segment, when the car is launched.
Engine
and gearbox
The
sportscar is a mid-engined vehicle that is powered by the critically acclaimed
Ford EcoBoost 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. This mill churns out 250 Hp of
power and 340 Nm of torque and has been mated to a six-speed manual
transmission that sends power to the rear wheels. DC Design house has equipped
the car with a double wishbone setup both, at the front and at the rear as
well.
The
official spec sheet says the 4,550 mm long two-seater weighs 1,580 kg and can
tap 100 km/hours in 6 seconds before topping out at an electronically limited
200 km/hours.
Verdict
The
car is expected to be launched by the end of this year or early 2015. It will
be priced at around Rs 25-30 lakh. The Avanti will create a category in itself
as it will be the first supercar produced in our country by any Indian
manufacturer.
Specification
sheet :