We can't imagine there were many people that saw the recently finalized Rezvani Beast and thought, "Gosh, that 1,650-lb (748-kg) roadster is woefully underpowered at 500 hp." But the Southern California boutique believes there are at least five such customers out there willing to spend double the price on a suped-up, twin-turbo two-seater. For them, there's the all-new Beast X.
Rumors of a Beast X have been circulating for weeks, and Rezvani made the model official this week. The "most powerful and exclusive Beast ever produced" gets a healthy power boost up to 700 hp (522 kW) thanks to a reworked 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with dual Borg Warner high-performance turbochargers, forged pistons and valves, and strengthened internal components.
The Beast X's carbon fiber body conveys its added drive power with a touch more aggressiveness. Modifications include the distinctive dual-rear wing design, side wings, and redesigned front and rear fascias. The standard Beast never looked shabby, but the Beast X looks absolutely stunning in its blue birthday suit.
All told, the changeover from Beast to Beast X spec brings about 200 pounds (91 kg) with its 200 horses, pushing weight up to 1,850 lb (839 kg). For those counting, that's 0.83 hp/kg, which roughly splits the difference between the standard Beast (0.67 hp/kg) and world beaters like the Koenigsegg One:1 and Hennessey Venom GT that flaunt the coveted 1/1+ ratio.
Rezvani estimates the Beast X's 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) time at 2.5 seconds, making it one of the quickest accelerating cars on the planet. Hard figures are always nice, but we really don't need that one to spell out the fact that the Beast X's power-weight ratio will be super-fun to play with inside the lively RWD speedster with standard six-speed manual. The improved aerodynamics should help it better snake through the twists, making it all the more fun.
The track-focused, street-legal Beast X will be built to order in a very limited run of just five examples, each basing in at US$325,000, nearly double the $165K base of the Beast. The model includes 19-in wheels wrapped in Continental or Toyo tires, Alcon competition brakes, and independent forged aluminum front and rear suspension with anti-roll bars and Bilstein 10-way adjustable dampers. A sequential paddle-shift transmission is available in place of the manual as an option.
Rezvani isn't just launching the X as a hardcore Beast model, it's launching it as its new exclusive, high-performance division. That distinction is rather academic at the moment – the Beast is Rezvani's only X model – but the company does tease that more vehicles will wear the X badge in the future. That's good news because in our opinion, the more Rezvani the better.
Source: Rezvani Motors
Whilst I cannot see autonomous cars being a success, all the sensors and the like being developed for them will enable cars to be produced that can legitimately be called semi-autonomous. When that happens, there will be a set of standards that simply will not permit cars like this to be capable of being driven faster than the speed limit, nor accelerate more rapidly than at a fixed rate. Crossing red lights will be impossible, as will overtaking into oncoming traffic. Such features will require cars to speak to each other, which in turn will require control systems to facilitate such behaviour. In short, all cars will operate within the same performance envelope, making those like this one a waste of money. They will be seen as pimpmobiles no longer able to pimp.
In short, the writing is on the wall for supercars and when the motor industry gets its act together to produce a set of standards for autonomous/semi-autonomous cars, their days will be numbered. The accident statistics for semi-autonomous cars and today's fleet will probably price them off the road anyway, assuming that it will be possible to get insurance for them.
By then, there will have been years of the big cities struggling to choke the cars off their streets that are burdening them with too much traffic. Public transport for everybody who doesn't want to pay an arm and a leg for the luxury of being ostentatious.
Around the time we ban all "dangerous" sports where there is the risk of breaking a fingernail and spend all our time wrapped in cotton wool and never straying out of the door for fear of being struck by lightning, thus remove all risk and spirit of adventure from our grey, boring, worthless lives?
Shortly before we go extinct as a species due to having lost the will to live, in other words.
I agree with you. Cars like this make life exciting and worth living. The day we ban anything fun and exciting, life ceases being worth living.