DC Design Avanti Supercar Revealed
As we anticipated, DC Design has unveiled India’s first supercar at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo. Dubbed Avanti after Studebaker Avanti in the Tintin comics, the supercar may be affordable but doesn’t exactly meet what we’d consider supercar standards.
It may at the very least look the part of being an exotic supercar, but the performance leaves a lot to be desired. In order to keep it affordable at around $56,000, DC Design’s Avanti will initially come with Ford’s four-cylinder, turbocharged powerplant with a mere 265-hp. They still anticipate to build a model with a 400-hp turbocharged Honda V6 engine but pricing for that model hasn’t been announced or estimated. Both engines are mated to a six-speed, dual-clutch transmission.
The supercar weighs in at 3,440-lbs with an aluminum body and fiberglass body panels. The engines are currently being prepared out in the United Kingdom and imported to India for final installation onto the vehicles.
DC Design is still sticking to producing around 200 Avanti’s a year with aspirations to build 2,000 a year – if demand is there.
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At the Studebaker Drivers Club Forum, we reviewed the entire catalogue of cars that had appeared in Tintin comics. There were two Studebakers, but no Avanti. Unless there are some other Tintin versions, this account of the origin of the name makes no sense.