April 17 2008
Yorkshire-based styling operation Kahn Design has announced a partnership with race engine builder Cosworth to produce a new tuned Range Rover Sport, known as the Kahn Cosworth 300.
The Bradford firm's bespoke Project Kahn Range Rovers already have a big following but teaming up with a respected engineering firm like Cosworth means there will now be substance to match the style. As standard the supercharged Range Rover Sport puts out 384bhp from its 4.2-litre V8.
A respectable figure but one likely to swell considerably with Cosworth's input. No numbers have been quoted yet but to back up the super-aggressive styling and go chasing rivals like the Cayenne GTS and ML63 AMG you'd hope for something approaching 500bhp.
Cosworth's race heritage is well known of course. But it's also been involved with some hot road cars in the last 20 years. The souped up Sierras and Escorts are the best known but it's also had a hand in some other true classics, such as the mid '80s Mercedes 190E 2.3-16.
And in Kahn it has a perfect partner, with the styling firm's in your face styling packages for Range Rovers and others proving extremely popular. This is high end stuff though, Kahn's products coming at a hefty premium and carrying a designer label cachet far beyond its Yorkshire base.
In a market dominated by the German premium brands it's nice to see a genuinely homegrown success story too. And Kahn boss Afzal Kahn - he of the £400,000 F1 numberplate we reported last year - is boasting of a revival in British design and engineering on the back of the announcement.
Bradford, Northampton and Solihull might not sound the most glamorous triumvirate of bases for a global tuning empire. But the fruits of this diverse three-way relationship may yet spawn the British motor industry revival Kahn is hoping for.
Classic Cosworth look with huge rear wing for the new super fast Range Rover Sport
Afzal Kahn joins the Cosworth board having signed the contract for the groundbreaking new partnership.
And the deal is done. Afzal Kahn puts his name to a pairing he hopes can reinvigorate the British car industry.
The Project Kahn Range Rover Sports have a worldwide following among fans of in-your-face SUVs.
Not for the shy and retiring, the Kahn-Cosworth 300 will look even more wild than the existing Kahn Range Rovers.
Afzal Kahn poses with the F1 numberplate he bought for £400,000 and 4K, claimed to be worth £250,000.
