Rossin-Bertin Vorax - Brazil's BMW M5 V10-Powered Supercar

Behold Brazil's newest supercar, the Rossin-Bertin Vorax that will make its debut at the Sao Paulo Auto Show later this month. Looking a tad like the result of an unfortunate accident between a Nissan Juke and a Mazda RX-8, the Vorax features a carbon fibre body and aluminium chassis. According to its makers, it will weigh in at just 1,300 kg (2,866 lbs) and be powered by the same (albeit tuned) 5.0-liter V10 from the BMW M5.

In virtual testing, the "entry-level" 570 hp (425 kw) Vorax was good for a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph). Meanwhile, the 750 hp (559 kw) supercharged variant was good for 3.6 seconds and 372 km/h (231 mph), respectively.

The two men behind the Vorax are CEO and designer Fharys Rossin and (presumably lead investor) Natalino Bertin Jr. The former is a 37-year-old ex-GM designer and the latter is the 29-year-old, car-mad heir to the Bertin Group of slaughterhouses. Mr. Rossin wanted to build a supercar that could compete with the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche; a heady goal.

Production of the Vorax coupe will begin at a proposed plant in Blumenau, Brazil in late 2011 or early 2012. A convertible is set to follow twelve months later. Rossin-Bertin expect to sell between 500 and 1,000 Voraxes for around R$700,000 (US$409,836) each.

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