Rezvani Motors, a small company from Irvine, California, is about to present its latest project. On April 16, 2024, the newly founded subsidiary Rezvani Retro will present a vehicle that will probably be an extreme reinterpretation of an icon from Porsche. But who is Rezvani Motors and why should we be looking forward to this project with excitement?
Rezvani Motors, founded in 2013 by the US-Iranian Ferris Rezvani, built the Rezvani Beast, a sports car based on the Ariel Atom, from 2015 onwards. Powered by a mid-engined 2.4 litre Cosworth inline four-cylinder (I4) engine with 304 hp, the 6-speed manual sports car sprints from 0-100 in 2.9 seconds. And it has rear-wheel drive. The Speedster, which had no doors at all, was followed by a 2-door Targa and a 2-door coupe. In addition, Rezvani also offered a 500 hp engine with an unchanged body as production progressed. The chassis and brakes were taken from the Ariel Atom in all models.
Further expansion stages were followed in 2018 by what was probably the most extreme model in the "Beast" series to date. Rezvani, in collaboration with Cosworth, bored out the I4 from 2.4 to 2.5 liters and equipped it with a turbocharger that increased the vehicle's power to up to 710 hp. All of this was still done with a manual 6-speed gearbox. However, a sequential 6-speed gearbox was also offered as an option to better control the power. This "Beast Alpha X Blackbird" was also wrapped in a full carbon body, with standard "sidewinder doors" that open past the vehicle to the front wheel. The large amounts of carbon used meant that the weight of the vehicle could be reduced to 975 kilograms. With, it must be mentioned again, 710 hp, manual, as a pure rear-wheel drive vehicle.
In 2024, things got even more extreme. Rezvani took over the Corvette C8, including engine and chassis, as the new basis for her "Beast". With a revised body and a forced-induction engine, the new sports car in the series has certainly earned the name "Beast". The Californian carmaker has added a twin turbo to the 6.2-liter V8 engine from Chevrolet. This made it possible to squeeze out over 1,000 hp from the small block, making the Corvette a 10-second car on the quarter mile.
And this company is now taking on a Porsche. The teaser images that the company recently published show the vehicle called "RR1", with visual connections to the Porsche 935. The name of the image file "935.jpg" seems to confirm the suspicion. However, Rezvani has given her interpretation a brutal rear spoiler that is almost reminiscent of the Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport that Porsche presented a few months ago. A thoroughbred racing car without street legal approval that private buyers can then drive on the race tracks of the world. Incidentally, this 911 can be seen as the direct successor to the 935 from 2018, which is also only suitable for use on the race track. So it will be interesting to see what Rezvani brings to the road this time, because whenever they take something in their hands, it will be extreme, that's for sure.
