The thought of sports cars immediately take us to the European market, and rightly so, because it is Europe where sports cars were born, but now things have changed considerably and there are sports car manufacturers in all corners of the world. Thanks to DC design, we Indians can now be proud that, our country too has manufactured sports cars.
The DC Avanti is the first indigenous Indian sports car. It was first showcased at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo and at that time, there were many who thought that this car was just a one-off display car and would never make it into production. Well, it has made it into production and hundreds of cars have already been sold with a majority of the sales being from international markets. Yes that is how good our first sports car is.
One look at the DC Avanti, and the uninformed would never be able to guess that this is a sports car designed and made in India. The design and finish is astoundingly good for a first time sports car, and we also have to bear in mind that DC design has never mass produced any car before.
The car looks sporty and funky at the same time, when viewed from any angle. The front end is characterized by the huge headlamp cluster with black plastic molding around. The car has character lines running from the front till the rear, starting from the front Fender and flowing through the doors, all the way back till the rear quarter panel, and of course there’s the beautifully designed wheels with five twin spokes.
The DC Avanti also has drool worthy, lambo style air intake and cooling vents. The flowing shoulder line splits into two, revealing the louvre which allows for a peek at the beautifully crafted engine powering this beauty.
Speaking of the engine, it is a tiny but potent 2.0 liter, 4-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine. This is no ordinary 2.0 liter engine, as this has been sourced from Renault Sport, the French car manufacturer’s motorsport division. Hence, this is a tried and tested engine in the toughest automotive proving ground – Motorsport.
The engine develops a max power of 250 BHP and a maximum torque figure of 340 NM. The torque is developed as low as 2000 RPM making the urban driveability of the DC Avanti better than most other sports cars. The acceleration of the DC Avanti is not what you would call rampant, because it is very linear, now this however does not mean that it is slow! 0-100 KMPH is dealt with, in 6 seconds flat and it will go on to hit an electronically limited top speed of 180 KMPH. The DC Avanti does not roar or growl, but it just purrs along making the driving experience slightly less thrilling than its competitors in international markets.
The engine drives the rear wheels through a 6-speed synchromesh gearbox, and what a relief it is for us gearheads to find a manual gearbox in a sports car, it is quite a rare thing these days with the Twin clutch gearboxes taking control over the sports car world. driving the DC Avanti is a smooth and subtle experience, with the engine and gearbox perfectly tuned to each other. One easily the feeling that the DC Avanti can easily cross 180 KMPH if its electronic limiter is overridden, but it is not suggested that this be done, however, that being said, one definite way to improve the driving experience in the Avanti is, adding a nice Exhaust system to it, to let that Rev happy motor roar.
The Interiors of the DC Avanti is neat and well laid out, and luxurious too. Now, that being said, it is not Bentley or Rolls Royce Good, but it is really nice for a sports car, and this coming from DC Design is least surprising to us. DC Design has been the best in the business for years now, when it comes to transforming the interiors of any given vehicle and their expertise in the field is seen in the interiors of the Avanti.
The instrument cluster houses a pair of Dials and the centre console is dominated by a 2-DIN touchscreen Infotainment unit with Navigation. the car also gets soft air conditioning controls and cool looking engine start stop button and hazard lights button mounted on the dashboard itself. The interiors of the car are clad in Alcantara Leather, including the dashboard.
DC Design have already won our hearts with the Avanti, but it Does not stop there. DC Design Recently also launched a limited edition version of the Avanti, called the Avanti 310, and on this car, while the exteriors and interiors remained the same as the regular Avanti, the engine was tuned up to produce 310 BHP instead of the usual 250 BHP. Now that, is a huge step up in power, and this move made us like DC Design even more. The Avanti 310 was made in limited numbers, 31 to be exact, making it all the more exclusive and rare.
DC Design has done an excellent job, producing the first indigenously developed Mid Engined sports car in India, and Kudos to the team for pulling this off.
To read more on DC Avanti, Click here
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