He comes from nowhere, he has endless power and he turns the world upside down - what the Nevera for the weather on the Croatian coast, Rimac promises for the world of super sports cars. And almost 2.000 hp and more than 400 km / h give this promise the necessary emphasis.
It's a morning of almost innocent beauty on the Croatian island of Pag. The air is lukewarm, the wind is gentle and the sun already has plenty of power. But the first impression is deceptive and the silence is deceptive. Because it's the calm before the storm. Except that this time it doesn't break out over the mountains, as it has been doing for thousands of years, when the residents whisper in awe and with a fearful look at the sky about the Nevera weather phenomenon, but on the runway of Zadar airport: where the Croatian air force's fighter jets train , now stands flat and wide and blue like the calm sea, a sports car that bears the same name and is at least as stormy: Clear the way for the Rimac Nevera - the strongest and fastest production car in the world.
From the master himself
Presented three years ago under the working title C2 as a study beyond imagination at the Geneva Motor Show, the series version of this low-flying aircraft on wheels marks the temporary high point in the breathtaking career of the 33-year-old company boss Mate Rimac. Because in just ten years he has risen from being a nobody to a bearer of hope in the horsepower industry, has brought companies such as Porsche, VW and Hyundai on board and is now even traded as the future owner of Bugatti. Apparently no one else understands electrification, powerful electric motors, fast electronics and powerful batteries like the European Elon Musk - and the Nevera is not only its masterpiece, but also the figurehead. "Here we show what is possible," says Rimac and hopes that as many large-scale manufacturers as possible will be inspired by it. For he is not only interested in the 150 cars that he intends to sell over the next three years at a net unit price of two million euros. Actually, he wants to employ his now 1.000 employees with orders from Wolfsburg, Stuttgart or Seoul and help the old industry to keep up with new challengers like Tesla.
The Nevera is constructed in a correspondingly complex manner and a corresponding amount of technology is in the carbon body, which is baked from one piece - and of course the largest to date that has made it onto the road. It is driven by two motors per axle, which can be individually controlled or decoupled, and the on-board computer, together with half a dozen cameras and an army of sensors, is so smart that the Nevera will soon be able to drive autonomously on the racetrack. Rimac even developed the infotainment system with three large and six small screens and even the ignition key on its own. The Nevera no longer needs a key because it is the first car that can also be opened and started with face recognition.
Pure power
But here on the airfield you don't want to know anything about navigation or infotainment and wait longingly for the release from the tower. “All clear and ready to go!” Now put your left foot on the brake, the right on the accelerator, then release the brake and all hell is loose. And unlike any other sports car, this happens without any warning, without any noise, surprisingly, suddenly and therefore all the more brutal: From nowhere, the combined 2.300 Nm of the four motors mounted close to the wheel ram into the back of the occupants like a catapult, and 1.912 horsepower would probably make the features of even a marble statue slip away. Then the explosive power of the electric motors hurls the 2,2-ton truck towards the horizon: the ribs bend over the collapsed lungs, the mouth opens in a silent scream and the skull slams painfully against the headrest. Not only the imagination is overwhelmed by the less than two seconds for the sprint to 100 km / h, but also the physiognomy. And the rush of the lawn doesn't stop afterwards. After less than six seconds, the 200 mark flickers across the screen, and without any loss of vigor, the number climbs on and on - if the runway did not end at some point, the Nevera would make 412 km / h - and thus make every Lamborghini a lame duck. Even the Bugatti Chiron, so far the keeper of the grail of most speed records, looks pale.
In addition to the sheer thrust, the precision with which the Nevera can be driven is also impressive. When each motor is individually controlled and distributes the power so perfectly to all four wheels, the pounds just seem to tumble and the length shrinks to a pocket-sized size. A Porsche Cayman is almost bulky compared to the Nevera, not to mention a Chiron.
Internal driving coach
And the regulation is so quick that even professionals have to get used to it. Not only is the acceleration unmatched, but also the time it takes to implement the individual commands. No wonder that the high-speed drivers are all looking forward to the Drive Coach, who wants to ennoble them to kings of the circular path with virtual and autonomous training.
Those who want to rely on their own talents can choose from more than half a dozen driving programs with which the character of the Nevera changes noticeably: There is race or track fashion for the perfect storm on the track, there is - after all, has a company boss Mate Rimac started his career with smoking tires - a drift mode and a tour mode in which the whirlwind turns into a mild breeze that tame the Croatian country roads.
Huge battery and thus also range
Without the roar of a multi-cylinder in the neck, it gives the serene Gran Turismo, with which you can glide relaxed and also cover great distances. That is why there is not only a comparatively elegant interior around the completely digitalized cockpit, despite its simplicity, but also another superlative: The battery, made up of almost 7.000 cells, is the largest that has been used in a car to date, with 120 kWh, and should be one Enable standard range of more than 500 kilometers. And when charged with 500 kW, the Nevera also becomes the king of speed when plugged into the socket.
Fast-paced, with explosive power and definitely ready to shake up the established world of the hasty elite - up to this point, Rimac really chose the name for its super sports car. The car should only differ significantly from the weather phenomenon in one respect: While the storm is over as quickly as it came and after a few hours the sun is laughing again from the bright blue sky, company boss Mate Rimac wants to leave a lasting impression: Whoever once you've sat at the wheel of the Nevera and put your right foot down, you'll never forget it.
