Why The Rezvani Beast Is Too Tame To Be Considered a True Supercar

Is this Jay Leno-endorsed “supercar on a budget” really worth $139K?

Auto-obsessed former late night host Jay Leno recently raved about the Rezvani Beast Speedster, calling it the “future of supercars.” We beg to differ, however – this thing isn’t a supercar by any means.

A fun little toy, to be sure, but it’s powered by a Honda Civic engine for Chrissakes, and to our way of thinking “supercar” and “Honda Civic” should never appear in the same sentence, even when it’s endorsed on Jay Leno’s Garage.

Granted, the Beast’s Civic powerplant has been upgraded to 500 hp and the carbon fiber car weighs so little it can do 0-60 in only 2.7 seconds. But at $139,000, the Beast, which is basically a rebooted Ariel Atom, isn’t exactly a bargain.

You can customize it to beef up the power, but consider this: For $121,000 – $18,000 less if you’re keeping track at home – you can pick up an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, a true piece of British craftsmanship with something a bit more pedigreed than a Civic combuster under the hood.

We’ll reserve further judgement for a road test, of course, but from where we’re sitting right now this Beast doesn’t possess quite enough animal savagery to justify its so-called “supercar on a budget” status.