Who is India's best known automobile designer? Whether you are a car lover or not, you know the answer.
Chhabria has been on the Indian automobile design scene for more than a decade.
I remember when one of the automobile magazines carried pictures of his Sierra Karma. This was a normal Tata Sierra, sculpted to look like something out of this world. Once I even managed to get a short ride with him, and the reactions of the men on the street were amazing - people who did not know who he was, they stopped, smiled, waved, flashed a thumbs up.. I don't really
know if any of his later creations evoked that kind of a reaction. Or maybe it is even more enthusiastic now.
Dilip Chhabria has designed several new automobiles after those heady Karma days - and the level of sophistication he can bring to an average vehicle is staggering. Chhabria is a regular at automobile expos now, hawking his wares, and attracting remarkable international attention, which probably peaked with his execution of a new design for the new Aston Martin Vanquish.
Dilip Chhabria has also ventured into two wheeler design - though I suspect his heart was never in two wheelers. Going
by the name of Octane, the motorcycle designs that Chhabria has
created look a little slab-sided. Also, I believe they are mostly
suitable for retro-fitting on Hero Honda or other economy motorcycles, which
leads to a slightly funny effect as the vehicle posture looks
flat and jaded, while the body work looks fast and furious!
Chhabria's greatest achievement recently was the creation of
the Aston Martin Vanquish. He received well-deserved accolades
for that venture - of course the design came from Aston Martin,
which Chhabria implemented in Mumbai. But it was a brilliant
job, and I hear that his business from abroad has boomed after
that. vehicle prototyping, according to Chhabria, is big
business and he and his team can create prototypes much faster
than anywhere else in the world.
Our latest information is that Dilip Chhabria Designs (DC
Designs) is about to shift to Pune, the city of automobile
lovers and two-wheelers. So what if Mumbai's car-loving Parsis
community is there! He has already bought a large area there for
his purposes, and a large scale expansion is in the cards.
Chhabria is also currently working on a helicopter design for
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. We shall keep you posted on more
info on Mr. Chhabria as soon we we get our hands on some!
We shall try to track any new developments from India's best automobile
designer on this page from now. We shall also endeavour to bring you pictures of his latest designs, with as much details as we can. Cheers!
Here's a little eye candy to sate your hunger! Feast your
eyes on these brilliant car designs from Chhabria!
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