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Kahn and Evanta team up for hot-rod Defender, custom Barchetta

Thu, Jul 10 2014 If you're familiar with the work of Afzal Kahn, it's probably for his tuned Range Rovers. And if you live in London, you may have seen his Bugatti Veyron with the F1 license plate. But the British tuner and self-styled "automotive fashion designer" is now embarking on a far more ambitious project.

Kahn is teaming up with Ant Anstead of Evanta fame – responsible for rebodying Aston Martin DB7s to look like DB4 GTs and that full-scale DBR1/2 model kit – on a new outfit called Ant-Kahn. Far more than a tuning endeavor, Ant-Kahm is setting about creating truly unique (and uniquely British) automobiles.

Their first project is called the Flying Huntsman, a long-nose Land Rover Defender that we imagine will emerge as something like a British take on the 1998 Jeepster concept crossed with something Icon might concoct. It'll pack a 6.2-liter GM LS3 V8 producing 550 horsepower, mated to a push-button six-speed automatic transmission, mounted close to the bulkhead with over 15 inches of extra bodywork and set to be unveiled within the coming months.

Their second collaboration is set to yield the Evanta Barchetta previewed by rendering above. "Inspired by the design language of 1950s motorsport," the Barchetta pays homage to classic British and Italian roadsters. It's being built around a tubular frame with handcrafted composite Kevlar bodywork and powered by that same LS3 tuned to 450 hp but in a much lighter form than the Flying Hunstman. Only 20 examples will be made after its debut at the Goodwood Revival come September.

An Aston Martin project codenamed WB12 is also in the works, painting a picture of an ambitious startup backed by two experienced operators whose projects we're looking forward to seeing come to fruition.
Ant-Kahn – The birth of a groundbreaking collaboration between two leading figures in the UK automotive industry.

Ant-Kahn is a collaborative partnership between Afzal Kahn - innovative automotive fashion designer and founder of the Kahn group of companies, and Ant Anstead, founder of expert vehicle manufacturer Evanta, and star of Channel 4's "For The Love of Cars".

Working together under the Ant-Kahn banner, they will lead a resurgence in British specialist vehicle manufacture, with a number of projects already underway.

Their focus is on luxury and quality, using modern prototyping and manufacturing technology, while maintaining the attention to details associated with traditional coach building. Both the design and production centres are UK based, reflecting the dedication of the partners to building British industry.

"We are already working on exciting future plans that extend from coach-built special editions to series manufacture of motor vehicles, and you will see a number of models come to fruition in the coming weeks and months" explained Afzal Kahn.

Ant Anstead comments "Together, we are dedicated to continuing and building upon the historical excellence of British vehicle manufacture and the traditions of hand finished coach building are at the heart of the company's ethos."

In the coming months, Ant-Kahn intends to release the 'Flying Huntsman', a new take on the classic Land Rover Defender.

This will be followed by the release of an Ant-Kahn original: a retro-styled barchetta, which is set to be unveiled at the Goodwood Revival motor show, and later this year a completely restyled Aston Martin WB12.
  • News Source: Anti-Kahn
  • Aftermarket
  • Aston Martin
  • Land Rover
  • Convertible
  • SUV
  • Performance
  • kahn
  • barchetta
  • flying huntsman

By Noah Joseph


See also: 2015 Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT First Drive, Dany Bahar plans Aston Martin shooting brake at Modena-based tuner, Jaguar to offer high-performance SVR models like Land Rover?.