Denmark is a lovely country. But I wasn’t always a fan of this country as much as I am now. I used to scribble hate mails too, once – and then bin them. I remember reading a script about a cultural invasion of the world where I encountered a mention of Jelling stones. That was my first real experience of Denmark and I didn’t quite take a liking to it. Rather, I didn’t take a liking to one strange-minded chap called Harald Bluetooth – he’d conquered over Denmark and Norway and went on to convert Danes to Christianity. I found it particularly forced and unethical.

But things have changed, and I’ve grown up to be wiser. Denmark is a gorgeous country and I’ve even forgiven Harald (as if it ever mattered) realizing that he was a man who lived a long time ago, and perhaps wasn’t even remotely familiar with something called manners or ethics. Today, Jelling stones are called ‘Denmark’s birth certificate.’ Even the Queen – Margrethe II – despite being 70 is brilliantly elegant and stylish. Denmark is to the world of design what Penelope Cruze is to the world of men – stylish and sexy yet elegant at the same time.

There are examples I can give you. Danish Design is a watch making firm and their entire product portfolio consists of brilliantly elegant examples – they’re simple, but the class and stature they exude is simply unfathomable to mere mortals. Bang & Olufsen is another example. And don’t even get me started on clothing and furniture. The radiance of style and design stretches even to the world of motoring. I am talking about a brand called Zenvo. Call it the dream machine or a supercar, the Zenvo ST 1 looks stunning. Danish in identity, this supercar is hand built and boosts of ownership of over 1000 horses. Conceptualized by Zenvo automotive in 2004, the Zenvo ST1 is a limited edition super car and only 15 of these unique machines would be sold world over. What is more interesting is that like Ferrari, the Danish manufacturer, too, would screen and filter its perspective buyers to ensure the seriousness of the brand.

So how did it start? It was in 2004 when Jesper Jensen and Troels Vollertsen got together to establish a sports car venture called Zenvo Automotive. In fact, the name Zenvo is derived from a combination of both their names and ST1 is the name given to the prototype on which research and development began that very year. The idea here was to build a two-door supercar that would not only look good but also deliver impressive performance. To satisfy the second parameter, Zenvo went looking for an engine – and sourced a massive one at that. Chevrolet Corvette’s 7 litre twincharged V8, no less! With the enhancements in place, this engine is said to deliver 1,104bhp and 1,430Nm of torque. The combined effect of such brutal power (sufficient enough to move a mountain, or so we believe) is a slight indication to what this machine would be like to drive, especially since it’s a rear-wheel drive mated to a six speed manual transmission. Mind you, there is no automatic nonsense offered here. This one’s hardcore – for proper men.

It was Christian Brandt who headed the project due to his vast experience in the design industry as he had worked for Alfa Romeo and Kleeman in the past. Designed to be both practical and track worthy, the Zenvo ST1 is all about knife-sharp edges and in-your-face design. It also features a carbon fibre splitter that gives it a racing car look. The front end shouts of aggression. The hexagonal shaped grille and the large front air intakes essentially used for cooling the brakes and the engine have a sinister element to them.

The rear spoiler – a standard fitment – has been integrated into the rear wing offering better stability at high speed. There is also a big diffuser that has been stacked down towards the lower end of the bumper that provides for better air flow underneath the car. The large exhausts and the twin tail lamps blend in well to offer an overall mischievous character to the car. The ST1 measures 4.7 metres in length, is 2 metres wide, 1.2 metres tall and weighs just over 1370 kg – carbon fibre construction doing the trick there.

In its last phase of testing, the Zenvo ST1 definitely looks attractive and given that it features a 7 litre V8 engine that offers a supercharger and a turbo, this will be a killer machine aimed at satisfying the salivating enthusiasts – filthy rich enthusiasts, that is. The basic price of the Zenvo ST1, without registration, is estimated to be around five million Danish kroner, which is approximately one million US dollars.