Entop is back again with its Afghanastanian supercar, now rebranded as the Simurgh. The company’s CEO, Mohammad Reza Ahmadi, who also has the role of designer and chief engineer, unveiled the car at the 2023 Geneva International Auto Show’s Doha branch, making some bold claims.
While he didn’t disclose any information about specifications, power output, or performance targets, he did say that the team wants to race at Le Mans before selling the previously named Mada9 supercar to the public.
The startup popped up in the news at the beginning of this year when it announced the Mada9, what it called their prototype at the time, the world’s first Afghan supercar. Ahmadi had stated that the car would be ready in a mere two weeks but, once more, didn’t reveal any specific specifications. Eagle-eyed automotive enthusiasts noted that the Mada9 appeared to use the same Toyota 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine found in a 2004 Corolla sedan. However, Entop reportedly said that the engine had been modified.
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Photos GIMS
Now, nearly 10 full months later, Ahmadi showed up at the capital of Quatar with no mention of the Mada9 and a car that looks identical but now features the name Simurgh. “I want to build something to put my country on the map again,” he said in an interview at the Doha show. “The Simurgh represents the heroes and art of Afghanistan.”
Don’t take Entop’s presence at the Doha branch of the Geneva Motor Show as lending toward its credibility though. According to Bloomberg, the hopeful automaker paid for the space and crowd-sourced the $130,000 in funds to make it there. Now, before announcing any sort of detail about its chassis, features, specifications, or production schedule, Ahmadi says his team wants to go racing at Le Mans.
He’s hoping to raise $43.2 million to finish the development of the Simurgh and enter it into the historic 24-hour race. “We plan to start sales after the Simurgh has been through Le Mans, where it can be tested and prove itself,” said Mr Ahmadi. While the likelihood of that happening appears to be incredibly slim, it certainly would be impressive.
As we mentioned in our first piece on Entop, the Mada9 and now the Simurgh both benefit from being real physical creations. That’s a lot more than one could say for the numerous companies that create renders in the hope of gathering funds before building a single car. Still, the fact that the Simurgh features an unfinished interior and questionable build quality has us wondering if it’s already peaked.