Afzal Kahn

Afzal Kahn is a British automotive designer.^[1]

He is the founder of the Kahn group of companies: Kahn Design, the Chelsea Truck Company and Project Kahn.^[2][3]

Renowned for his dictum 'The Road Is My Catwalk', Afzal is the only British designer to have entered into a supply agreement with Aston Martin, having penned a deal to create a limited number of extensive DB9 coach built vehicles entitled: ‘The Vengeance’.^[4]

The Vengeance, alongside a number of Afzal's finest vehicles were unveiled to much acclaim at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.^[5]

Honours

In December 2014 Afzal was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the prestigious car dealer awards.

The judging panel paid tribute to Kahn’s achievements, acknowledging that for more than 20 years, he has been setting the trends in automotive fashion and it was only right to honour him with the lifetime achievement award.^[6]

In June 2015, Afzal was honoured with a design and innovation award at the Birmingham Made Me Awards. The judging panel recognised the significant investment made in both design and manufacturing as part of the WB12 Vengeance project.^[7]

Design Timeline

Kahn who has been crowned 'The King of customisation' by the U.K's leading automotive magazine, Autocar, famously pulled out of an architecture to pursue his love for cars. “I started off in the car business as a hobby,” he told Autocar. “I had been studying architecture but I pulled out. I wasn’t interested in building property. I was a petrolhead.” ^[8]

RS-R Wheel

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.

With the RS-R design he flew to Italy, had a factory tool up for his wheels and took a risk with an order for 1,000. In an interview with Car Dealer Magazine, Kahn explained how he sold all the wheels before he landed back in Britain,’ he said: "‘I’d sold them before I landed back in Britain. I took two tiny adverts out – one in Top Car and the other in Auto Trader – and the phone rang off the hook. After that I knew it could work."

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.

Expanding The Product Range

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.^[9]

Producing Complete Vehicles

By 2002, Kahn Design had diversified into production of complete vehicle upgrades,^[10] necessitating a move to new, purpose built premises in 2004, which incorporated bodyshop and leatherworking facilities. In an interview with Money Week Magazine he explained “Customers had been asking me to redesign their whole cars and not just sell them accessories.”

He bought some Land Rovers and once the cars were in his studio he “stripped them and built them back up again in our style… We weren’t just changing how the cars looked, we were re-engineering them.” Exhausts, steering wheels, dashboards and roofs were all changed. “We invested in technology. Other rivals used clay models, but we made a digital model of the car so we knew exactly what we were working with.”

F1 registration

In 2008 Kahn made headlines after his purchase of the “F1” registration plate for £440,000 set a UK record for the most expensive plate sold at auction,^[11] The number plate is now said to be the most valuable number plate in the world, worth in excess of £10 million.^[12]

Afzal continues to maintain a substantial collection of exclusive registration plates. He owns the UK’s most exclusive number plate collection, with the 4 HRH, 1 CEO and 4K registrations just some of the 68 registrations on offer.^[13]

Swiss Timepieces

The Kahn Timepiece Collection comprises a range of Swiss made watches inspired by Kahn’s background in automotive design. Combining the best in British design and Swiss manufacturing, these unique creations incorporate the styling and attention to detail which is a hallmark of the Kahn brand.

Project Kahn

Project Kahn provides bespoke luxury Range Rover vehicles to discerning clientele. Each vehicle is tailored to the precise specification of the customer, from the exterior styling to the luxury interior, and designed to maximise comfort and quality.

Project Kahn offers both new and pre-owned vehicles, as well as full vehicle conversion packages, parts and components.^[14]

The Chelsea Truck Company

The Chelsea Truck Company, which draws its name from the “Chelsea Tractor” phrase, specialises in designing, enhancing and refining the Land Rover Defender and Jeep Wrangler, transforming these iconic vehicles from rugged off-roaders to stylish city explorers. The Chelsea Truck Company offers both new and preowned vehicles, as well as full vehicle conversion packages, parts and components. In 2014 A Chelsea Truck Company Jeep was handpicked by the producers of ‘The Edge Of Tomorrow’ to be featured in a scene with Hollywood A Lister, Tom Cruise.^[15]

In 2013 he opened a boutique showroom on the King's Road in Chelsea, London.^[16] This was followed by the launch of a flagship showroom on Kirkstall Road in Leeds.^[17]

The Flying Huntsman

In 2014 Kahn moved into production of special edition vehicles, beginning with the release of a series of coachbuilt Land Rover Defender models under the 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 ^[18]

Kahn exhibited at the 2015 Geneva Show, with the 6x6 concept in particular, receiving much acclaim from the assembled media.^[19]

Vengeance

In 2015, Kahn released official images of a new coach built supercar, based on the Aston Martin DB9, entitled Vengeance.

In development for close to six years, the body, made from lightweight aluminium, was crafted using traditional hammer-formed methods, with each vehicle built by hand by Kahn’s chosen team of craftsmen and automotive experts.

The vehicle was unveiled to critical acclaim at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.

Kahn emphasised the importance of the new reveal: “I want to leave a legacy which I can be proud of. The 2016 Geneva motor show is the ideal platform to launch such a handcrafted vehicle.”

Aston Martin purchasing director Gary Archer welcomed the arrival of a reworked DB9. “There is a rich history of specialist coach-built Aston Martins,” he said. “We wish Kahn every success with the Vengeance.”

^[20]

In an interview with Barcroft Media, Afzal spoke of his admiration for Aston Martin models and his inspiration for building the Vengeance: “Since a very young age I’ve loved Aston Martins. There’s something very quintessentially British about the cars. My favourite out of all of them is the Aston Martin Vanquish.

“I took inspiration from the mask of Hannibal Lecter. The way the grill looks is like the mouth of Hannibal Lecter. The car has very animalistic looks to it, the vents, the haunches at the back, the grill at the front, the way it sits, the way it looks at you."

^[21]

TV appearances

Mr. Kahn has made numerous appearances on TV, most notably a 10 part series featured on the National Geographic Channel's, Supercar Megabuild, which has been broadcast in over 42 countries. ^[22]

Mr Kahn has also been featured on the BBC's One show. He was interviewed by the entrepreneur, Theo Phaphitis. ^[23]

References

External links

• Kahn Design official website
• Chelsea Truck Company official website
• WB12 Vengeance official website