Autoblog

DC Design previews India's first supercar

Noah Joseph — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Misc. Auto Shows, India

Think "supercar" and only a handful of countries are likely to come to mind. And most of them are in Europe: Italy, Great Britain, Germany... even Sweden and France have pitched in here and there with such notables as Koenigsegg and Bugatti. Consider examples like the Dodge Viper, Ford GT and Corvette ZR1 and you can deal America in on the action, and with vehicles like the Acura NSX, Nissan GT-R and Lexus LFA, Japan has lent its hand, too. But India?

The populous subcontinent may not be the first that comes to mind, but DC Design is eager to change that. The company has popped onto the scene here and there with its Rolls-Royce coachbuilds and dolled-up Tata Nanos, but is now preparing to step up to the big leagues with the vehicle you see teased here.

Set to be unveiled at the upcoming Delhi Auto Expo (which is not, to our chagrin, a display of pastrami delivery trucks), DC's first independent project is set to be powered by a forced-induction V6 engine sourced from Honda, delivering about 400 horsepower. Considering the low target weight of less than 3,500 pounds, that could prove more than enough. 30 lakh rupees (about $56,000) is the target price, with production capped at 3,000 units per year.

DC Design previews India's first supercar originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One-off Million-Dollar "Black Ruby" Rolls-Royce coupe up for sale

Noah Joseph — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:59:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Rolls-Royce, UK, India, Specialty

DC Design "Black Ruby" Rolls-Royce coupe - Click above for image gallery

Funny thing about one-off creations. Sometimes you look at them and wonder why they only made just the one, and sometimes you thank your lucky stars they're not roaming the streets in packs. Whatever side of the fence you come down on with the DC Design Rolls-Royce coupe, that one and only example is now up for grabs.

The product of Indian coachbuilder Dilip Chhabria - also responsible for the Porsche Cayenne coupe and the $220k Tata Nano - "The Black Ruby" combines the grille of a Rolls-Royce with the shape of a Nissan Z, packing exotic-style scissor doors and the spirit of the Maybach Exelero. It was reportedly built for an Indian maharaja, and has been spotted as far away as London.

It's now available for purchase for the low-low price of £750,000, or about $1.2 million. Check it out in the gallery below for a closer look... if you dare.

Gallery: DC Design "Black Ruby" Rolls-Royce coupe

[Source: SparkCars.com via CarScoop]

One-off Million-Dollar "Black Ruby" Rolls-Royce coupe up for sale originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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$220,000 DC Designs Tata Nano coming this year

Damon Lavrinc — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, India, Tata, Specialty

DC Designs Tata Nano - Click above for image gallery

DC Designs came out swinging at this week's Auto Expo 2010, and in addition to revealing its Imperator and Ying Yang concepts, the Mumbai-based firm's namesake - Dilip Chhabaria - revealed plans to produce a bespoke Tata Nano that's set to cost... wait for it... 10 million rupee. That's $220,000.

How could Chhabari possibly inflate the price of the Nano by some $218,000? According to reports coming out New Delhi, DC plans to completely overhaul the budget runabout, replacing all the body panels, brakes, suspension and interior components, along with fitting 20-inch wheels and replacing the 33 horsepower, 624cc engine with a 1.6-liter mill that's able to propel the five-seat hatch to a maximum speed of 124 mph. We figure we could do all of that on a LeMons budget, so either something got lost in translation or we'll have what he's having.

Chhabari told the AFP that he expects, "...people from Bollywood to be interested in this project, but I think generally it will be people who have a passion for cars." DC plans to sell between two and five modified Nanos each year and expects to not only market his creation in India, but also export his $200k hatch to outside markets. Hey Dilip, stop hogging the hookah.

Gallery: DC Designs Cars

[Source: AFP]

$220,000 DC Designs Tata Nano coming this year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auto Expo 2010: DC Designs Imperator and Ying Yang shock and amuse

Damon Lavrinc — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:01:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, India

DC Designs Imperator and Ying Yang - Click above for high-res image gallery

If you're not already familiar with DC Designs, let's refresh your memory. Founded by Dilip Chhabria, the Indian designer has been responsible for such autotrocities as the Amrierod and Cayenne Coupe, along with tuned versions of the Rolls-Royce Phantom and Tata Nano. Pleased with what he's done for other people's vehicles, Chhabria has turned his efforts towards developing two new vehicles, both of which debuted this week at the Auto Expo in New Delhi.

Without any hard details on what's underneath each concept, there's not much to say aside from analyzing the exterior designs. Despite its name, the Ying Yang struck us as a stylish amalgamation of the en vogue box aesthetic and a traditional minivan, while the Imperator is far too similar to the Lexus 2054 shown in the movie adaption of Philip K. Dick's Minority Report -- right down to the plummeting windows and red hue. Decidedly less swoopy than its silver screen inspiration, the four-seat Imperator (anyone remember the Isdera supercar by the same name?) is festooned with all the show car baubles you'd expect, including 24-inch wheels and gullwing doors, the latter of which are held up by massive hydraulic tubes that seemingly prove that opening the concept's doors was an afterthought. You can check out both concepts in the gallery below thanks to Indianautosblog.com.

Gallery: DC Designs Imperator and Ying Yang

[Source: IndianAutosBlog | Live Images: Shrawan Raja]

Auto Expo 2010: DC Designs Imperator and Ying Yang shock and amuse originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It Begins: First tuned Tata Nano spotted

Dan Roth — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:59:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Honda, Suzuki, Toyota, India, Tata, Design/Style

DC Designs customized Tata Nano - Click above for image gallery

It was bound to happen. Think back to when Volkswagen Beetles infested the roads of the globe; there was no shortage of customized Bugs. Tata aims to put the world on wheels with its low-priced Nano, offering mobility to India's massive population for what many Americans just dropped on Black Friday. To stave off an impending swarm of same-same vehicles, and cash in with buyers looking to stand out, New Delhi-based Carnation Auto (not to be confused with North America's Car Nation) has teamed up with Dilip Chhabria's DC Design to offer prefab-custom options for the Nano.

The endeavor has been given the tagline, "The Artist Meets the Enabler," and it began with tarted-up offerings for the Toyota Innova, creating a car called the Innov8. If the reworked MPV is any indication, we can expect the DC Design Nano to have an interior that apes a Gulfstream, while we can all plainly see what's been done to the exterior. The Nano kit is not yet available, but Carnation says it will be ready to join the already-available Innova, Honda City, and Suzuki Swift kits in 2010. We're sure opinions abound over this visually-charged Nano, so feel free to express yourselves in the comments. Press release posted after the jump.

Gallery: DC Designs Cars

[Source: CarnationDC.com via Indian Auto Talk]

Continue reading It Begins: First tuned Tata Nano spotted

It Begins: First tuned Tata Nano spotted originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DC Designs creates another Roller atrocity

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:03:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

Click above for a gallery of the DC Designs Ambierod

We don't know how we missed this, but earlier this year DC Designs - the car-creator founded by Dilip Chhabria - unveiled the DC Ambierod at the 2008 New Delhi Auto Expo. The coupe was supposedly inspired by the Hindustan Ambassador, on which the Ambierod is based, and Chhabria wanted to create the Indian equivalent of the Holden Efijy concept from 2005. In short, he failed - hardly a surprise considering the wannabe Roller/350Z and the $375,000 Cayenne coupe that DC concocted in previous years.

If you can avoid dwelling on the Ambierod's awkward ends and bulbous greenhouse, you can enter the plush interior through a set of hydraulically actuated gull-wing doors. The exterior's pseudo-retro theme is dropped in favor of a tech-laden interior, with a handful of LCD screens, a wireless internet connection, multi-colored mood lighting and room for rear-seat occupants, including a foot-rest occupying the space where the front-seat passenger would normally sit.

Production rumors have been circulating since the Ambierod's introduction, but we think that's about as plausible as the coupe's claimed 3.7-second sprint to 60. If the Ambierod does hit the market, expect the V12-powered coupe to crest the $1,000,000 mark. Thanks for the tip, Raul!

Gallery: DC Designs Ambierod

[Source: Domain-B, MotorBeam]

DC Designs creates another Roller atrocity originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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