Afghanistan’s first supercar combines stunning looks with the heart of a Toyota Corolla and inspiration from Australian wildlife.
Built by the Afghanistan Technical Vocational Institute and fledgling car company ENTOP, the sleek machine has attracted global attention as a supercar from a surprising source.
Like a Lamborghini Aventador, it has crisp styling, motorsport-inspired pushrod suspension, and thin LED lights.
But the whopping V12 engine of a Lamborghini is missing in action.
Instead, the svelte-looking coupe has a humble 1.8-litre engine from a Toyota Corolla mounted in the middle of the car, driving the rear wheels.
Then again, that’s the same combination found in a Lotus Elise, and few enthusiasts could argue that the British lightweight is anything less than a brilliant sports car.
ENTOP chief executive Muhammad Raza Ahmadi says his handbuilt prototype is called the Mada 9, but that its name is likely to change in the future, inspired by what European explorers found when they first reached Australia.
“We are aiming to name this car ‘Black Swan,” he said in a video published on YouTube.
“You know, before the discovery of the Australian continent, people had only seen white swans. That time, when people wanted to make an example of a bizarre thing, they used to call it a ‘black swan’.
“Swans were white, but when the continent of Australia was discovered, people witnessed the opposite.”
In the same way that Western Australia birdlife shocked explorers, Ahmadi hopes to change the way people think about his country.
“Foreigners believe that all people in Afghanistan are poor and need humanitarian aid to survive,” he said.
“In such a situation, the invention of this car can be seen as if a black swan has popped up from among the white swans.”
“I think we should name it a Black Swan so that the historical memory of this nation will never forget that there is still hope no matter what they are going through.”
The car appears to have the blessing of Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership.
A video posted on the official Twitter account of the Spokesman of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, was accompanied by a simple caption: “car made in Afghanistan”.