Vazirani Automotive showcases the Shul hypercar concept in India

After stunning the crowd at Goodwood Festival of Speed with the Shul, Vazirani Automotive showcased the hypercar concept today in Mumbai. The Shul was showcased for the first time in India today. Shul means the one with the trident and Chunky Vazirani, the man behind Vazirani Automotive, says that the design of the car was inspired from Lord Shiva. The sides and bonnet of the car have reference to the Trishul and the overall shape of the LED headlights are designed to represent Namaste. The car also gets wing mounted cameras that reduce drag by minimum 55 per cent compared to conventional wing mirrors.

In an interview with Chunky earlier, he had told us that the hypercar will make more than 1000 horses and will have an all wheel drive. He also said that they had chosen to go for a turbine-electric powertrain, as it would reduce overall weight of the car. They have used a lighter battery pack and mounted the electric motors on the wheels to shed weight. The turbine that is used to power the electric motors can be run with the regular fuel that is available. Chunky and his team have set a target to begin testing sometime next year.

Air vents are located behind the headlamp cluster to cool the brakes and the carbon fibre wheel cover too is designed to carry the hot air away from the wheels. The front bumper houses big air vents to direct the air flow to the sides, on top and wheels. All the cuts and slashes that festoon its body are designed to direct the air flow smoothly to generate maximum downforce, better cooling of brakes and reduce overall drag. Air flow from the sides are also directed to the rear, to cool the turbine and radiator.  The V- shaped flaps at the rear are inspired from a jet fighter. The massive diffusers and the striking rear end with C-shape LED tail lights blend well with the overall design of the car. The black/dark grey/white paint scheme for the body is another visual treat. It is no doubt a stunning looking concept and Chunky says that they are working to make the production car as close to the concept as they can. Initial sketches of the car displayed at the studio gives a glimpse of many iterations the designers had in mind for the Shul, including one with a massive rear wing and another giving an impression of a floating rear wing. However, the rear spoiler, as seen in the pictures, is integrated with the rear bodywork. Chunky says that this design is more efficient, aerodynamically.

The car is still under development and Chunky says that they are experimenting with different materials to keep the weight in check. The bodyshell of the car would be entirely made of carbon fibre.  The weight distribution of the hypercar will be close to 50:50 according to him. Production of the Shul will be started in another three years and it will be limited to only 25 units worldwide. Chunky and his team have been working on the Shul for more than three years.

Chunky Vazirani has worked as a designer in various automotive companies like Land Rover, Volvo, Yamaha and Rolls-Royce before he started Vazirani Automotive. He graduated from the Arts Centre College of Design in California, where some prominent personalities like Chris Bangle studied automotive design there.

Watch out for our fifth anniversary October issue for our interview with Chunky, as he tells us more about the hypercar, its design and his journey from a designer to starting his own hypercar company to make the Shul the first Indian hypercar.