DYNAMO FROM ZAGREB
Autocar UK|May 03, 2023
With a good deal more power and torque than even a Bugatti, the Rimac Nevera is as rapid as cars come. Matt Prior drives the Croatian hyper-EV on UK roads with its chief engineer in the passenger seat
DYNAMO FROM ZAGREB

A charging post in Milton Keynes isn't the obvious place to meet the world's fastest electric car. But the Rimac Nevera and its chief A engineer aren't in the UK for long and I have only an afternoon in the company of both.

Tomorrow, this Croatian creation is needed in pristine condition at the Salon Privé concours in London so that people wearing red trousers and no socks can look at it and maybe order one. So before that we will head to the road and find out what it's like as a normal, everyday sports car.

And that seems as relevant to me as its 258mph top speed. Now, I'm not saying I'm totally accustomed to 1877bhp hypercars, I'm just saying that the age-old question "what'll it do, mister?" isn't as pertinent as it used to be, because these days the only place you can find out how fast even modest sports cars can go is if you're a manufacturer test driver or fancy a spell serving at His Majesty's pleasure.

Besides, "I forgot my pace notes", jokes Matija Renić, the aforementioned engineer, as we head to the most picturesque areas Bedfordshire can offer, through towns and villages, squeezing past suburban buses and then on to the pretty B-roads that are the hallmark of British driving, heavily crowned, narrow, tight and dismally surfaced. In a 1.99-metre-wide, £2.4 million hypercar that wants to be doing 0-62mph in 1.95sec. Yikes.

Thankfully, the Nevera "isn't a one-trick pony", says Renić. "This is a fully electric hypercar with four electric independent motors, almost 2000 horsepower and crazy amounts of torque," he says, "but it's very interesting and entertaining to drive even on this kind of road."

I wonder just how important that is. "It was one of the main goals," he says. "A lot of the guys in the company are petrolheads, or gearheads if you like, and for us it's about what an electric car can be and making one that's engaging, fun to drive. It's a driver's car in the end."

Denne historien er fra May 03, 2023-utgaven av Autocar UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra May 03, 2023-utgaven av Autocar UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA AUTOCAR UKSe alt
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Autocar UK

The venomous nature of the Cobra

Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 23, 2024
SKODA KAMIQ
Autocar UK

SKODA KAMIQ

A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Autocar UK

THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH

Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
'Our time has come'
Autocar UK

'Our time has come'

Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store

time-read
8 mins  |
October 23, 2024
Lion kings
Autocar UK

Lion kings

Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI

time-read
6 mins  |
October 23, 2024
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Autocar UK

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF

Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh

time-read
7 mins  |
October 23, 2024
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Autocar UK

PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS

Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Autocar UK

MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO

Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind

time-read
3 mins  |
October 23, 2024
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Autocar UK

TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI

Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Autocar UK

DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP

Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024