The second-generation Rezvani Beast made its debut last week, and it has switched from European underpinnings to something a bit more red, white, and blue.
Whereas the original was based on the lightweight Ariel Atom, and was powered by force-fed four-cylinder engines, the new model is a reworked eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette.
Like the Corvette, the Beast has a mid-mounted 6.2-litre V8 hooked up to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, but in this case the eight-pot has been boosted by twin turbochargers, bringing power output to 746kW or 1000 horsepower.
Rezvani claims the Beast is capable of doing the 0-60mph (0-97km/h) dash in 2.5 seconds, and completing the quarter mile (400m) run in 9.6 seconds.
For reference, the base 365kW Corvette Stingray needs 3.0 seconds to hit 60mph. The 488kW hybrid E-Ray matches the Beast’s 2.5s 0-60mph time, but needs 10.5s to complete the quarter mile.
Externally, the Beast’s bodywork is largely unique with smoother lines, and slimmer lighting units at both ends. The doors open up and out in the what company calls a “dragon wing” arrangement.
The air intake blades and the targa roof panels seem to be carried over from the Corvette, though. Thanks, in part, to its new carbon-fibre body panels, overall weight has been reduced from around 1680kg to 1340kg.
On the inside, Rezvani has redesigned parts of the dashboard, with the most prominent change being the removal the spine of buttons that divides the driver’s side of the car from the passenger’s.
The instrumentation display and infotainment touchscreen are now housed under a hood that’s finished in leather that features some particularly wavy stitching. Standard features include 14-speaker Bose sound system, carbon-fibre seats, and a steering wheel with the top section cut off to resemble an airplane yoke.
Rezvani plans to build just 20 second-generation Beasts in this standard form with pricing starting from US$485,000 ($742,000). That’s a huge step up from even the most expensive Corvette variant, the US$112,700 ($172,000) Z06.
For supercar enthusiasts with a few enemies there’s a US$55,000 ($84,000) armour package with body armour and bulletproof glass.
If there are cryogenically frozen assassins on your tail, the US$45,000 ($69,000) 007 package equips the Beast with a smoke screen, pepper spray dispenser, electrified door handles, strobe lights, thermal imaging night vision system, magnetic dead bolts, electromagnetic pulse protection, hypothermia and first aid kits, and an intercom system.
