Kahn Design

Last updated

A Kahn Design Limited
IndustryCar modification
Founded1998
Headquarters,
England
Key people
Afzal Kahn
Number of employees
80 (2011)
Subsidiaries The Chelsea Truck Company
Website www.kahndesign.com

Kahn Design is a British-based company that specialises in the modification of motor vehicles. Founded by Afzal Kahn, the company has its headquarters in Bradford and showrooms in both Chelsea and Kensington in London. [1]

Contents

Initially the company designed and sold alloy wheels, but in 2003 developed into car design modifications and coachbuilding. As of 2011, the company employs 80 people, including 20 designers. [2]

Work

Kahn, who has been called "the king of car customisation" by the automotive magazine, Autocar , pulled out of architecture to pursue his love for cars. [3]

Kahn Design Jeep Wrangler Sahara 2012 Jeep Wrangler Sahara CRD 197 Automatic (Kahn Design) 2.8.jpg
Kahn Design Jeep Wrangler Sahara

In 1996, Kahn designed the RS-R alloy wheel. The design, in which the spokes gave the appearance of continuing all the way to the rim was considered a first in the industry. Using capital derived from the initial sold-out production run of 1,000 RS-R wheels, Kahn founded A. Kahn Design in Bradford, West Yorkshire in the late 1990s. [4]

Kahn continued in the role of creative director, releasing further wheel designs, and adding exterior styling and vehicle interior design to the company's product range. He also sought partnerships with other fashion brands to collaborate on the interior designs, such as Harris Tweed. [5]

By 2002, Kahn Design had diversified into production of complete vehicle upgrades, [6] necessitating a move to new, purpose-built premises in 2004, which incorporated body shop and leatherworking facilities. Kahn bought some Land Rovers and once the cars were in his studio he re-styled and re-engineered them. [7]

In 2013, Kahn opened a showroom on the King's Road in Chelsea, London for his Chelsea Truck Company which specialised in customising Land Rover Defenders and Jeep Wranglers. [8] This was followed by the launch of a flagship showroom on Kirkstall Road in Leeds. [9] A second Kahn Design boutique in London was launched in October 2017 on Kensington High Street. [10]

In 2014, Kahn moved into production of special edition vehicles, beginning with the release of a series of Land Rover Defender models under the Flying Huntsman brand, including extended bodywork, upgraded engine, suspension and braking systems and luxury interior design. The first two models to be announced, the 4x4 Huntsman 105 Longnose and the 6x6 Huntsman 110 Longnose, were revealed at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. [11]

In 2015, Kahn released official images of a new supercar, based on the Aston Martin DB9, entitled Vengeance. In development for close to six years, the body, made from aluminum, was crafted using traditional hammer-formed methods, with each vehicle built by Kahn's team of craftsmen and automotive experts. The vehicle was unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. [12] Following the WB12 Vengeance, the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show saw the unveiling of the Vengeance Volante, a convertible version of the WB12 model. [13]

Officially unveiled at the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show, the Chelsea Truck Company Jeep Wrangler Black Hawk Edition has been described as a customised creation that combines glamorous finishes with bold body work. [14]

In April 2017, Kahn unveiled the Project Kahn Range Rover Sport SVR Pace Car, a bespoke version of Land Rover's 542bhp V8 SUV edition. [15]

In May 2017, it was announced, The London Taxi Company (LTC) had commissioned Kahn to create a run of bespoke versions of its TX4 cab, which will go out of production this year. [16]

At the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show, Kahn unveiled the Chelsea Truck Company Defender-based 6X6 Civilian Carrier. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is a part of Tata Group, an Indian conglomerate. Its products include passenger cars, trucks, vans, coaches, buses, sports cars, construction equipment and military vehicles.

Rolls-Royce Phantom VII 2003 car model

The Rolls-Royce Phantom VII is a full-sized luxury saloon car made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Launched in 2003, it was the first Rolls-Royce developed and introduced after BMW purchased the right to use the Rolls-Royce name and logo in 1998.

Bowler Manufacturing is the manufacturer of off-road racing vehicles based on the Land Rover Defender and Range Rover chassis. The company is located in the town of Belper, Derbyshire, in the United Kingdom.

SEAT Tribu Motor vehicle

The SEAT Tribu was a compact SUV concept car that was built by the Spanish automaker SEAT, S.A. in the autumn of 2007.

Mansory is a luxury car modification firm based in Brand, Germany. Besides luxury cars, they also work on supercars, luxury SUVs and custom bikes. The company was founded in 1989 by Iranian-British tuner Kourosh Mansory. His Munich-based workshop focused on modifications for British brands such as Rolls Royce and Italian brands such as Ferrari. By mid-2001, the company had grown out of its Munich workshop and moved to headquarters in Fichtelgebirge. The company currently operates out of a workshop in Brand, Germany.

Great Wall Wingle Motor vehicle

The Great Wall Wingle is a model of pick-up truck that has been manufactured by the Chinese company Great Wall Motors since 2006. The original Wingle was renamed Wingle 3 with the introduction of the newer model Wingle 5 in 2010 and Wingle 6 in 2014. Great Wall then unveiled another Wingle model to the lineup known as the Wingle 7 in 2018.

Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid Motor vehicle

The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid or Mazda5 Hydrogen RE Hybrid was a hydrogen powered hybrid car produced by Mazda. Later models were also called the Mazda Hydrogen RE Plug in Hybrid. The first car was unveiled in 2005, with an improved version shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Mazda planned for the car to enter production and leased a few cars to end users in 2009 in 2010.

Andy Palmer British businessman

Andrew Charles Palmer is an English automotive executive and engineer. He is founder and CEO of Palmer Automotive Ltd, chairman of Optare Ltd, a non-executive director of Ashok Leyland Ltd and SBD Automotive Ltd, and non-executive vice chairman of InoBat, a Slovakian developer of electric vehicle 'intelligent' batteries. He was president and CEO of Aston Martin from 2014 to 2020. In 2017, he was appointed chairman of the productivity and skills commission of the new West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Palmer was previously the chief planning officer, executive vice-president and member of the executive committee of Nissan Motor Company. Reporting directly to Nissan's president and CEO, Carlos Ghosn, Palmer shared the chief operating officer role with two Nissan executives. Palmer was also chairman of Infiniti, and president of Nissan Motor Light Truck Co, a member of the board of directors of Nissan (China) Investment Company (NCIC), and of Nissan's joint ventures with India's Ashok Leyland.

Peugeot HR1 Motor vehicle

The Peugeot HR1 is a concept car which was designed by Peugeot for the October 2010 Paris Motor Show. It is a supermini SUV, and features an innovative hybrid powertrain. Instead of using a diesel linked to an electric motor, like in the Peugeot 3008 and Peugeot 508, it uses a 1.2 litre petrol engine. CAR compared the car’s styling being “sort of like the shrunken Range Rover Evoque.”

Citroën C4 Aircross Motor vehicle

The Citroën C4 Aircross is a compact crossover SUV, which was closely related to its sister vehicles, the Mitsubishi ASX and the Peugeot 4008.

Afzal Kahn is a British automotive designer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the Kahn group of companies: Kahn Design, the Chelsea Truck Company, Project Kahn and Flying Huntsman.

Range Rover (L405) Motor vehicle

The Range Rover (L405) is a mid-size to full-size luxury 4x4 / sport utility vehicle, made under the Land Rover brand by Jaguar Land Rover. It is the fourth generation of the original, main Range Rover series. It uses an all-aluminium monocoque unitary body structure, instead of the 3rd generation's steel unibody — making it the first production 4x4 to do so, resulting in a reduction of 420 kg (926 lb) compared to its predecessor.

Tata Motors Cars is a division of the India-based automaker Tata Motors which produces passenger cars under the brand name Tata Motors. It is currently the 3rd largest car manufacturer in India in terms of sales after Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motors. Tata Motors offers most safest cars in India as crash tested by the Global NCAP. Some of them includes Tata Nexon, Tata Altroz, Tata Tigor and Tata Tiago (Hatchback).

Rimac Automobili is a Croatian car manufacturer headquartered in Sveta Nedelja, Croatia, that develops and produces electric sports cars, drivetrains and battery systems. The company was founded in 2009 by Mate Rimac. Rimac Automobili's first model, the Concept One, was the world's fastest production electric vehicle. While manufacturing and marketing high-performance vehicles under its own brand, Rimac also develops and produces battery packs, drivetrain systems, and vehicles for other companies. The Applus+ IDIADA Volar-E is an example of a product developed for another company. During the 88th Geneva International Motor Show in March 2018, the company unveiled its second model, the C_Two.

Subaru VIZIV Motor vehicle

The Subaru VIZIV is a series of hybrid concept sports SUVs designed and built by Subaru, the first of which was unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The VIZIV series included several signature Subaru design features, such as the use of horizontally-opposed engines and all-wheel drive, and built on prior Subaru hybrid concepts such as the B9SC, B5-TPH, and Hybrid Tourer by using a three-motor layout. Since 2016, the VIZIV concept cars have previewed styling for upcoming production automobiles, and the hybrid powertrain has been dropped in favor of a conventional gasoline engine and all-wheel-drive.

David Brown Automotive is a British manufacturer of limited edition automobiles in Silverstone, England, belonging to British businessman David Brown. The company began in Coventry in 2013 and moved to a new 18,000 sq ft dedicated build facility and headquarters at Silverstone Park in April 2017.

Lagonda Taraf Car model

The Lagonda Taraf is a four-door full-sized luxury car manufactured by Lagonda, a marque owned by British automobile manufacturer Aston Martin since 1947. The Arabic word "taraf" means ultimate luxury in English. Only 120 cars were built, each of which was priced at US$1 million.

Range Rover Velar Motor vehicle

The Range Rover Velar (L560) is a compact luxury crossover SUV produced by British automotive company Jaguar Land Rover under their Land Rover marque. The fourth model in the Range Rover line, the Velar was unveiled on 1 March 2017 in London, England. The Velar was released in the summer of 2017. The name Velar had previously been used for a series of pre-production first-generation Range Rovers in 1969.

The Jaguar Land Rover car platforms are the major structures, designed by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which underpin their Jaguar and Land Rover cars. The D8 platform is also used by Tata Motors.

Cupra Born Motor vehicle

The Cupra Born is a battery electric vehicle developed by the Spanish manufacturer SEAT, under the Cupra brand. First unveiled as the el Born concept in 2019, the production car is planned for sale in 2021. The Born is based on the Volkswagen Group MEB Platform, and will be manufactured at the same plant in Zwickau, Germany, as the MEB based Volkswagen ID.3. The car is named after a neighbourhood in Barcelona.

References

  1. "Kahn Design opens 'boutique' showroom in Kensington".
  2. "Interview: Afzal Kahn". GT Spirit. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2012.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. "Meet the king of car customisation - Afzal Kahn" . Retrieved 31 August 2014.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. Batchelor, James (5 March 2012). "Welcome to Kahn Design". Car Dealer Magazine. Retrieved 18 July 2012.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. "Driven:Kahndefender". Top Gear. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  6. "Moving up a gear in world of luxury cars". Yorkshire Post. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2012.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  7. McKeigue, James (25 April 2017). "Afzal Kahn: Plastic coffins set me up for life". Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2012.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  8. "Venture in £25m move to showcase in capital". Yorkshire Post. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2014.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  9. "Kahn Design showroom in Leeds, England". Motor Authority. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  10. "Kahn Design opens 'boutique' showroom in Kensington". CarDealer . 6 October 2017.
  11. "Land Rover Defender-based Kahn Flying Huntsman". Autocar. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  12. "Kahn Vengeance - DB9-based sports car revealed in Geneva". 1 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  13. "Kahn Vengeance Volante DB9 based supercar revealed at Geneva". Auto Express. Retrieved 8 March 2017.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  14. "City to coast cruising in a Chelsea Truck Company Black Hawk". Autocar. Retrieved 28 April 2017.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  15. "Project Kahn Range Rover Sport SVR Pace Car revealed". Autocar. Retrieved 28 April 2017.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  16. "Bespoke Last of Line Edition Black Cabs to be created by Kahn Design". Autocar. Retrieved 31 May 2017.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  17. "Kahn Design's Chelsea Truck Company rolls out Defender-based 6x6 Civilian Carrier". MotorAuthority. Retrieved 9 March 2018.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)