Rimac Automobili has delivered its first U.S.-bound car to its first American customer.
If you’re wondering why that’s significant, it’s probably because you’ve never of Rimac before. That’s not surprising as few in America have heard of the eastern European automaker.
But you probably have heard about Rimac’s other brand, Bugatti. Since 2021, Bugatti has technically been known as Bugatti Rimac, and it’s part of the Rimac Group, owned by the self-made billionaire Mate Rimac. The company received substantial funding from some big players last year.
The Rimac Group says its mission is to create the most advanced electric hypercars in the world. Based in the outskirts of Zagreb, Croatia, with locations around Europe, the company currently employs more than 2,000 people.
The Rimac Nevera
Rimac calls its newest car the Nevera, after a type of quick-forming storm known to the Adriatic Sea. The Nevera is based on an ultra-lightweight bonded carbon-fiber monocoque designed to put batteries in the floor.
The Nevera uses an electric motor for each wheel in a rear-biased setup that produces something in the neighborhood of 1,800 horsepower. The rest of the car is similarly built to hypercar standards. TheDetroitBureau’s Larry Printz got to drive one last year.
Rimac’s genius for overkill seems to have paid off with instrumented tests in Europe declaring that the Nevera has broken more than 20 speed records. The records were broken at the Automotive Testing Papenburg (ATP) facility in Germany using its 2.49-mile straights, and independently verified by Dewesoft and RaceLogic.
The Nevera even outperformed its own official specifications, recording 0-60 mph in 1.74 seconds. Then the Nevera did the 0-249-0 mph test with a new record time of 29.93 seconds — more than a second quicker than the previous record holder.
In its announcement, Rimac said, “All acceleration records were completed with a standard one-foot rollout and equipped with road-legal Michelin Cup 2 R tires on non-prepped asphalt.”
“When we set out to engineer the Nevera, our performance targets were incredibly ambitious, and we’ve now managed to overshoot all of those,” said CEO Mate Rimac. “What I’m most proud of though, is that this isn’t a car purely designed for straight line performance. The Nevera can go from breaking records to driving over 300 miles on a charge, refilling from 0%-80% in less than 20 minutes and keeping the most demanding drivers in the world engaged.”
If you want a Rimac Nevera, you’d best make contact soon, as the company plans to build just 150 examples. Oh, and get out your checkbook, because the MSRP is a cool $2.2 million.
First U.S. Delivery
The first U.S.-bound Rimac Nevera was finished in a gunpowder gray paint with pearlescent finish, paired with gunmetal Infinitus wheels and gloss black calipers. The interior showcases a full Alcantara trim style with subtle green highlights.
At this time, Rimac says they have a number of other U.S.-bound cars in production or awaiting their production slot at the time of this inaugural delivery. The Nevera already made an indelible impact in the States, emerging as the most sought-after market in the world for Rimac’s record-breaking all-electric hypercar.
“American buyers are flocking to secure their place in history,” said Hendrik Malinowski, Bugatti Rimac’s commercial director. “Congratulations to our first U.S. customer, who had the foresight to recognize the Nevera’s immense potential during its early development. They are now rewarded with the incredible honor of being the inaugural Nevera driver in the USA, and the proud owner of the fastest-accelerating road car in the world.”
Rimac has been recruiting dealers across the U.S., including Manhattan Motorcars, which delivered the first Rimac. The dealer network also extends to Canada and Mexico. But with production limited to just 150 examples worldwide, the Nevera will always be a collector’s item. If you ever see one on the road, take a photo because you’ll probably never see it again.