DC Avanti

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. However, we expect the car to retain most of the elements that were seen on the car displayed at the Auto Expo 2014.

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 250bhp of power and 360Nm 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.

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.

Specifications Summary

Engines
2000 cc, Petrol, 250 bhp @ 5500 RPM power

Gearboxes
6-speed, Manual, RWD

Seating Capacity
2 seater

Steering
Power steering