An ambitious 21-year-old entrepreneur named Sarthak Paul has set out to build India’s first-ever supercar. His recently-founded company is dubbed Mean Metal Motors, and its first model is tentatively called M-Zero.
The M-Zero’s aerodynamic body promises to be exceptionally light because it’s crafted entirely out of a new material known as carbo-flax that is lighter and a whole lot cheaper than carbon fiber. The success of carbo-flax is monumentally important for the M-Zero because Paul hopes to fund production of the first few prototypes by selling the lightweight material to satellite-building companies in India.
The coupe’s design is still being finalized. Interestingly, Paul mentions that he penned the early design sketches (pictured) while watching nature shows on television.
“I was watching a random show in which they discussed how the world’s fastest sea animal moves through air and water,” explained the young entrepreneur in an interview with CNN Money. “Then we thought, why don’t we just analyze why the fastest sea animal is the fastest?”
Mean Metal Motors has a few other tricks up its sleeve as well — at least on paper. The M-Zero’s ignition will be replaced by science fiction-esque fingerprint-recognition technology that recognizes the driver and instantly activates his or her preferred settings.
The M-Zero will use a plug-in hybrid drivetrain made up of a mid-mounted 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 gasoline-burning V8 engine and a small electric motor that provides instant torque. The two power sources will generate at least 500 horsepower, enough to send the coupe from zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds — about as fast as the 740-hp Lamborghini Aventador Superveloce — and on to a top speed of 200 mph.
“We want to give [buyers] a car that’s exactly the same or can do even more than a Lamborghini,” affirmed Paul.
We’re taking this project with a grain of salt or two, but we won’t have to wait long to see if Paul can walk the walk. If everything goes according to plan, Mean Metal Motors’ M-Zero will be introduced as a close-to-production concept at next year’s edition of the Paris Motor Show. When it goes on sale, its base price will lie between $125,000 and $150,000 before taxes and options are factored in.
