Overview:
DC goes by two popular firm names. The first one is popularly known worldwide for creating superheroes and the second firm is popular for creating a supercar. Let’s take a look at the latter:
DC is known for building some of the most legendary concept and custom vehicles in India. Some popular cars like the Aston Martin AMV8 Vantage Concept, Porsche Cayenne are some of the few cars that have undergone a major overhaul under DC’s workshop. But, what came out of inspirations from various supercars has now become a brand name.
The DC Avanti was christened after the DC concept design started developing the home bred sports car. Post 2012, it took DC an additional 2 years to showcase the production version of the Avanti. And now, DC has made it clear that the Avanti is more of the sports car with just a four-cylinder engine under its hood. As things did not go as per schedule, the production of the Avanti was delayed for 2015.
The DC Avanti will first be produced in India and post its launch in India, after its launch in India, the Avanti will expand its horizon worldwide. The production of the car will start at their manufacturing facility located in Gujarat, but the initial models will be built at their Talegaon facility in Pune.
Owing to the same fact, many test vehicles have been spotted several times in and around Maharashtra. Most of these prototypes had different sets of headlights and tail lamps. However, certainty lays in the fact that the car we had all seen and loved at the Auto Expo 2014 might share similarities with the finished Avanti.
Exterior
The Avanti shares design hints with the Ferrari 458 Italia. A massive mesh air intake and trapezoid bumper dominates the nose of the car. The headlamps 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 of the car is low yet long with quite a sharply raked windscreen with rear roofline that disappears into the engine bay located behind the car’s cabin. The pillars and the rooftop of this car have a black finish. The car stands on 20-inch alloy wheels with 255/35 sized tires at the front and 295/30 sized tires at the back that carry a unique DC design.
The length of the Avanti is 4,550 mm, while the width and height are 1,965mm and 1,200 mm respectively. The car gets a long wheelbase that measures 2,700 mm and has a ground clearance of 170 mm. Its space frame chassis combined with roll cage enclosed by the car’s body made out of carbon composite is a delight to ride.
If you think that the front side has more grunge, the rear side is where the real power is unleashed. The rear placed engine is covered in body colored 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.
This car is absolutely fabulous, though it does not seem like the cheapest sports car (thanks to all the styling) it shares a pretty affable yet aggressive design.
Interior
Ideal for a date, this two-seater has its entire cabin being kitted out in what appears to be quilted out leather. The material spreads across the seats, dashboard, doors and space between the seats. It also has the standard instrument cluster, steering wheel and AC. Speculation is that DC might go lenient by adding a few more features that should seem proportionate to the build quality of this car.
Engine:
The Avanti is a mid-engined car and is powered by the Ford EcoBoost 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. This power unit manages to churn out 250bhp of power and 360Nm of torque and has been mated to a six-speed manual transmission. This is a rear wheel drive and DC’s design facility has done justice to this car by equipping the Avanti with a double wishbone setup that is found on the front and rear.
Verdict
Many car enthusiasts have their hopes up with the upcoming Avanti. Besides, who wouldn’t right? Especially, if you’re getting such a stunner at 1/4th the price of a Ferrari. There is good news too, sources suggest that the Avanti will be offered in 10 different colors and would feature bi-xenon headlights and LED tail lamps. The initial lot that has already been booked was priced between Rs. 25-30 lakhs. But, the new batch is most likely going to drain out a few more Gandhi notes out of your pocket. Let’s wait and watch 🙂