Every single sheet metal and most of structural components are changed in DC2 Modified Volvo XC90 and looks nothing like the vehicle it is based on
DC2, formerly DC Design made the car in “Tarzan: The Wonder Car” movie and India’s first indigenous mid-engined sports car, DC Avanti. DC2 has spawned multiple new designs and mod jobs and the latest of them all is based on a Volvo XC90.
When we compare this to the sensible, Swedish and fairly vanilla Volvo XC90, coach builder DC2’s mod job is outlandish, weird, polarising and at the same time, eccentric. DC2 doesn’t seem to retain a single sheet metal panel from the stock XC90. It even has different headlights and tail lights as well.
DC2 Modified Volvo XC90 – Not for everyone’s taste
The squared-off wheel arches, high ground clearance, M/T tyres, butch appearance lend off-road credentials. So baffled with the design, we don’t even know where to start. No one in their sane mind would have thought of transforming a sensible and minimalist Swedish design into something like this. But Dilip Chhabria’s designs stand out.
There is a wide honeycomb grille at the front, housing a triple projector headlight setup in a sleek housing. LED DRLs are below it. Humper has bull-horn-like crevices that lend aggression. There is a sloping clamshell bonnet and the tiniest front quarter panel I have ever seen on a car before. The 5-door 7-seater layout is converted into a 3-door 4-seater layout.
Speaking of doors, they don’t open like Gull-wing doors on a Mercedes-Benz 300SL or an SLS AMG Coupe. Instead, they open halfway. They get hydraulic assistance with a top hinge. They have stuck glass and a tiny manual opening. Behind these doors, DC2 chose to narrow down the vehicle but keep the rear wheel track wide. This reminds me of a Vanderhall Speedster and Local Motors Rally Fighter.
DC2 has carried a honeycomb design to the rear, with large twin exhaust tips. These are fake though, as I can see light through these exhausts from the other end. DC2 replaced the large SUV tailgate of Volvo XC90 with a weird small one that shuts horizontally, instead of vertically. This tailgate has two vents for some reason, even though Volvo XC90 is not a rear-engined car.
Similarities with Volvo XC90
Dashboard, steering wheel, infotainment screen and seats. That’s it. Rest of the interior is completely changed. Narrow rear body eats into the shoulder space for rear individual seats and to add to that effect, DC2 chose to implement a physical partition to separate rear seats.
There is red ambient lighting inside with red leather quilting. We don’t know if DC2 settled with Volvo’s engine. With this level of structural changes, DC2’s newest mod job is less likely to get approval from authorities at ARAI. But as a showcase of Dilip Chhabria’s artistic and manufacturing capability, this does the job.
