It’s been two years since Rimac delivered the first Nevera Supercar Coming to customers, a record-setting electric car from a small Croatian company now also runs Bugatti. So, as you might expect from the birth of a Monterey Car Weekafter a few Special edition focuses on styling It’s time for a hot new variation of What is Nevera?. Rimac Nevera R arrives with more power, better aerodynamics and even faster acceleration.
Rimac says the Nevera R name “suggests that its development follows the Rimac brand philosophy: Radical, rebellious, restless.” I wish it had an actual name, but oh well. CEO Mate Rimac The Nevera R is the result of the company’s “continuous customer-driven improvement” process, he said, and customers wanted a car that enhanced the Nevera’s already excellent cornering ability, with a focus on driver feedback.
It starts with a next-generation “performance-oriented” 108 kWh battery pack that’s smaller and lighter than the Nevera’s standard 120 kWh pack. Just like normal NeverThe package is positioned in a T-shape, with the cells in the central tunnel and behind the driver, giving the car weight and distribution characteristics between the engines. The Nevera R’s four electric motors produce a total of 2,107 horsepower, up from 1,914, making it easily the most powerful electric car you can buy (and the second most powerful in the world after the Koenigsegg Gemera).
Nevera R’s Acceleration time from 0 to 60 mph is 1.74 seconds like Nevera’s ridiculously fast standardsand that’s mostly because the tires are at the limit of what they can achieve. The 0-to-124-mph time of 4.38 seconds is four percent quicker, while the 0-to-186-mph time of 8.66 seconds is 0.57 seconds quicker. It’ll run the quarter mile in 8.23 seconds, an improvement of 0.03 seconds, and it’ll go from 62 mph to 124 mph in just 2.46 seconds, an improvement of 0.13 seconds. The Nevera R’s top speed is 217 mph (or 256 mph if the manufacturer is counting on it), which is a bit slow. The top speed of a normal car is 258 miles per hour..
Credit the Nevera R’s updated styling and massive rear wing. The current Nevera is a good-looking car with some interesting design elements and aerodynamic solutions, but Rimac hasn’t really solidified its design language in my eyes—the R is a big step in that direction. The redesigned nose is much cleaner and more distinctive, while Rimac says its designers and engineers “seamlessly integrated sensual surfaces and precise graphics.” There are new splitters and lower skirts, a smoother updated rear bumper and diffuser, and a better blend of painted surfaces and carbon fiber components. I like the new three-spoke wheels, too. And yes, look at that fixed rear wing.
Rimac claims a 15 percent improvement in downforce and a 10 percent increase in aerodynamic efficiency. The car’s negative camber has been increased, and new Michelin Cup 2 tires reduce understeer by 10 percent and increase lateral grip by 5 percent. With an electric motor at each wheel, the Nevera has one of the most advanced torque vectoring systems in the world, and for the Nevera R, it has been retuned for better tyre and aerodynamics, while also delivering greater stability and predictability, especially in the wet. The steering has also been retuned for sharper response and feedback, and new Evo2 carbon ceramic brakes feature a silicon matrix for better braking performance, cooling, and durability.
The company claims the Nevera R will lap the Nardo Handling Track 3.8 seconds faster than the standard car, and I suspect Rimac has its eyes on breaking more records. Last summer, the Nevera set a production car record at the Goodwood Hill Climb, broken this year by Czinger 21C. Last summer, Nevera set a production electric car lap record at the Nürburgring, and the Nevera R is sure to break that record.
Only 40 Nevera R’s will be produced, counting towards the total of 150 Neveras that Rimac plans to produce. With the base Nevera already costing over $2 million before options, expect the Nevera R to cost hundreds of thousands more. Customers will have more customization options than before, both inside and out.
