The Beast: Will automaker build high-end cars in Southern California?

Automobile designer Fardees Rezvani is taking orders for the Beast, a high-performance carbon-fiber supercar that will do zero to 60 in 2.7 seconds and take a $139,000 bite out of your wallet.

The lightweight 1,550-pound top-of-the-line Beast will be powered by an inline four-cylinder 2.4-liter supercharged engine -- based on the same Honda engine that powers the Acura TSX -- that will produce 500 horsepower. (A little brother, the Beast 300, will run with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and create 315 horsepower, and will take a full 2.9 seconds to get from zero to 60.)

Its chassis is based on the Ariel Atom, and the supercharging is done by DDM Works of South Carolina.

Rezvani, founder of Rezvani Automotive Design, says he has several commitments to buy the built-to-order racer, each of which will require six to eight months to build and deliver to its new owner.

And despite the sticker price, Rezvani says the car is relatively a bargain.

“This kind of performance level, and design, is typically reserved for cars that cost over $1 million dollars,” he said. “Our goal was to make this available at a more reasonable price. World-class design doesn’t have to cost $1 million.”

The cars will be built at a 50,000-square-foot facility Rezvani’s company is operating in Santa Ana.

The design is by automotive architect Samir Sadikhov, known for his work on the Ferrari Xezri and Aston Martin DBC concept, Rezvani said.

The effort, he adds, is “self-funded.”

What is his financial commitment thus far? “More than enough, my wife would say,” Rezvani said.

The “launch edition” will be $124,900 for the Beast 500 and $99,500 for the Beast 300. Those price points will go up to $119,000 for the Beast 300 and $139,000 for the Beast 500.

For those who already own an Ariel Atom, a Beast upgrade is available at $49,000 for the Beast 300, and $69,000 for Beast 500.

That may seem like a lot, but if you buy the 500, the company will throw in a free day at the racetrack.

Rezvani, whose father was a fighter pilot, previously worked on the design of the Dutch handmade supercar Vencer Sarthe. His favorite car of all time, he said, is the McLaren F1.

So why call this race-ready roadster “the Beast”?

“To embody its pure brutal performance and acceleration numbers,” Rezvani said. “There’s no other way to say it.”