The Rezvani Beast is a rebodied, armoured Corvette with 1,000bhp

Remember the Rezvani Beast? Last time around it was a wild, Ariel Atom-based carbon sports car with a fairly frightening 700bhp to power its scant kerb weight. Now it’s back, and it’s a little different.

Based upon a Corvette C8, meet Beast Mk2. Quite a name – not to mention lineage – to live up to, but the figures ought to do it. The stock 6.2-litre V8 engine is twin-turbocharged, boosted to 1,000hp (or 986bhp if you’re feeling pedantic) and 878lb ft, enough to ensure it matches its predecessor’s 2.5-second 0-60mph time. That’s despite clearly carrying more timber now it’s based on an all-American hero rather than a lightweight track special from Somerset. It will complete the quarter-mile in just 9.6sec.

It looks a whole lot different to a contemporary Corvette – beyond its similar side vent arrangement and removable targa top roof – and arguably brings a much more beautiful aesthetic to the C8’s slightly gawky mid-engined shape. The rear in particular looks elegantly resolved, while hidden front lights make us wistful for the days of pop-up headlamps. This appears to be a modern-day tribute to that age old styling flourish.

It's a lot lighter than a C8, weighing in at just 1,352kg – down around 300 kilos thanks to what Rezvani dubs “a lightweight body made with special carbonfibre using high-temperature resins that are used in the latest generation of US fighter jets”. The father of company founder and CEO Ferris Rezvani was a jet pilot and he’s keen to cite the inspiration his pa gave him.

An eight-speed twin-clutch transmission sends the V8’s power to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential, while a staggered wheel layout – 20in at the front, 21in at the rear – wears high-performance Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres. Like a proper supercar.

While parts of its interior are recognisably ‘Vette, you’ll notice the steering wheel has had a minor makeover, looking closer to a yoke in here while retaining its core buttons and functions. Be mindful of that missing section during a panicked parallel park…

Just 20 will be made, and prices start at $485,000, or around £385,000. It’ll soar as you pile on the options, of course, with much customisation available for the select band of Beast buyers.

Most striking is the ‘007’ pack, which adds another $45,000 and brings a bunch of items like electrified door handles, thermal night vision and gas masks, while bulletproof glass and armoured exterior panels are another $55,000. Wild for a lightweight performance car, sure, but this sort of stuff is not unprecedented for Rezvani – indeed we’ve tried this all ourselves in its Tank 4x4 – but it does seem OTT here. But then so is 1,000bhp and so-called ‘dragon wing’ doors.

Joining the queue for one?