As supercars go, this one catches the eye
After delivering the raw Beast and Beast X roadsters, boutique carmaker Rezvani has a new model to unleash: the Beast Alpha.
The Beast Alpha is an evolution of Rezvani's lineup - one that's been polished and refined to offer more features. But, what's been tacked on won't take from the vehicle's fundamental purpose: to deliver a pure, unfiltered driving experience.
It all starts with a chassis from Ariel, the creators of the Atom, a street-legal, wickedly nimble track machine. From there, the Orange County, California-based Rezvani installs a carbon-fiber tub from Lotus, like the one used in its Elise models.
Power comes from a turbocharged 2.4-liter Honda race engine that has been tweaked and rebuilt from the ground up to deliver 500 horsepower. Top speed has not been revealed yet but a 0-60 time is reported to be at 3.2 seconds for the 1,950-pound vehicle.
Gears are selected via a six-speed manual gearbox or sequential automatic transmission with paddleshifters. An adjustable suspension is optional, as are carbon ceramic brakes, sport seats, an Alpine sound system with Apple CarPlay and an all carbon fiber steering wheel.
Six exterior colors are available while three leather colors can be had for the interior. New for the Alpha is a targa-style roof. Its predecessors were convertible only.
Stylistically, the Beast Alpha is edgy and modern with the look and feel of a proper performer without being over-the-top or unnecessary. Perhaps the coolest element is the industry-first "Sidewinder" doors.
Doors are an important part of the supercar mystique and have been done all kinds of ways. Lamborghini's doors scissor up, the Mercedes SLS's gullwing out, Koenigsegg's flip out and up, while the BMW i8, McLaren and LaFerrari all butterfly up.
Now, Rezvani is bringing a new style to the party, for its doors open horizontally but slide forward to cover the front wheels. It's unique, turns heads and is just the kind of "trick" feature buyers expect from this type of vehicle. They also can be powered and operate with the push of a button.
The vehicles are hand-built in Irvine, California, with pricing starting at $200,000. While it was debuted for the press at last year's Los Angeles Auto Show, the Beast Alpha will be debuted officially to the public today at the seventh annual Autocon car show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
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