Photo: AutoK9
The Duster was the most popular vehicle sold by the Renault-Nissan alliance last year. Even so, customization projects based on this East European crossover have been lacking creativity. That is until today, when a Romanian auto shop revealed its work, the Duster Summer cabriolet.
AutoK9 is not a shop that makes cars for dogs, but a service center in Romania and they've always been interested in customizing Dacia models. Back in 2010, they turned a Logan sedan into a convertible, followed by a sporty-looking Logan 2-door coupe in 2013.
Compared to those things, the Duster convertible seems way more contemporary and appealing. As you're probably well aware, the convertible crossover is a design exercise some manufacturers play with now that people don't buy regular cabriolets.
The Nissan Murano kicked things off, followed by the Range Rover Evoque and now the Volkswagen T-Roc. This Duster does indeed have a hint of VW character: the rollover hoop at the back, borrowed from the iconic Golf "picnic basket" roofless models.
Turning this older Duster into a custom convertible was no easy task. The process started with a heavily damaged car, which underwent four months of restoration at a cost of around 30,000 euros ($35,500). Sure, that makes it as expensive as a Golf GTI, but there's no other Duster Cabrio in the world.
As you've probably noticed by now, a number of exterior changes have been made. There are only two doors left, and they are frameless. Also, the front sports slight revisions to the grille and fog lights. For added curb appeal larger black wheels have been mounted with spacers.
The interior is miles better than any stock Dacia. White leather has been used for the seats, while the floors are decked with special wood. What is this, a Brabus? Just to spice things up, the archaic Duster center console has gone all-Tesla with a large portrait infotainment system.
Compared to those things, the Duster convertible seems way more contemporary and appealing. As you're probably well aware, the convertible crossover is a design exercise some manufacturers play with now that people don't buy regular cabriolets.
The Nissan Murano kicked things off, followed by the Range Rover Evoque and now the Volkswagen T-Roc. This Duster does indeed have a hint of VW character: the rollover hoop at the back, borrowed from the iconic Golf "picnic basket" roofless models.
Turning this older Duster into a custom convertible was no easy task. The process started with a heavily damaged car, which underwent four months of restoration at a cost of around 30,000 euros ($35,500). Sure, that makes it as expensive as a Golf GTI, but there's no other Duster Cabrio in the world.
As you've probably noticed by now, a number of exterior changes have been made. There are only two doors left, and they are frameless. Also, the front sports slight revisions to the grille and fog lights. For added curb appeal larger black wheels have been mounted with spacers.
The interior is miles better than any stock Dacia. White leather has been used for the seats, while the floors are decked with special wood. What is this, a Brabus? Just to spice things up, the archaic Duster center console has gone all-Tesla with a large portrait infotainment system.
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