DC Thar: Mahindra off-roader goes chic

Fun, rugged, spartan, great off the road and even stylish, in a rustic sort of a way, the Mahindra Thar can be called many things. But chic, classy, modern, urban  are things you won't really say in the same breath as Thar. But Pune-based DC Design seems to have come up with a remedy to that, provided you have a Thar CRDe, Rs 10 lakh to spare and are willing to wait a couple of months.

What the stylists at DC Design have done is make a complete body replacement, which in simple terms looks at chucking the classic 'Jeep' body of the Thar and replacing it with a custom-made fibreglass body shell. The aim was to create an "urban convertible off-roader" that looks as much at home on city streets as it does slugging it out on the rough stuff. It really does look like nothing else on the road at the moment. In fact, it almost looks like a concept sketch of a Thar from the future come to life in the present day.

In a bid to make the Thar more 'city-friendly', the interior has been completely modernised, with full black upholstery and trim all around, an LCD entertainment system in the centre console and even a set of sporty metal pedals. More importantly, the Thar now packs in an air-conditioning unit to keep things cool on really hot days. But when the temperature is just right, the real piece de resistance of this new body comes into play. Pop off the targa roof, stow it in the back and presto! You've got a million miles of head room.

The entire body kit treatment starts at Rs 6 lakh. Buy a Thar from the showroom, hand it to DC Design, and for that price, what you'll get is the curvaceous body, which will take about two months to fabricate and plonk on the chassis in place of the stock body. For another Rs 2 lakh, the design house will completely revamp the interiors like what you see here. The final Rs 2 lakh will get you air-conditioning and those funky wheels. While it may seem a little steep, what you do get is one of the most unique vehicles on the road today!