Rimac Nevera R with new sprint world record of 1.74 seconds

Until now, the Rimac Nevera was the production car with the fastest standard sprint: it passed the 60 mph mark in 1.85 seconds. The new Nevera R sets a new record of 1.74 seconds. In addition, the 300 km/h (186 mph) threshold is broken after 8.66 seconds.

The normal Rimac Nevera already has 1,914 PS, the new version gets 2,107 PS, according to the press release. However, the Nevera R is not the best here because the Koenigsegg Gemera with V8 hybrid drive has a system output of 2,300 PS.

Gallery: Rimac Nevera R

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Source: Rimac

The Croatian sports car manufacturer presents the Nevera R as the "aggressive alter ego of the Nevera". This would turn the "hyper GT" into a "hyper sports car". According to the manufacturer, the newcomer has been specially developed for cornering. To this end, the car is equipped with a next-generation all-wheel torque vectoring system (R-AWTV) and particularly powerful brakes.

The Nevera should be a grand tourer, which means it should be spacious and comfortable, explains company boss Mate Rimac. You should be able to drive it comfortably for thousands of kilometres. "But we are constantly adapting to the wishes of our customers, and many were looking for a car that really emphasised the Nevera's cornering capabilities and used all the advanced technology on board. Our answer to that was the Nevera R: all the DNA of the record-breaking Nevera, but lighter, faster and more focused."

Visually, the new version is designed to look even lower and sleeker. In addition, the 21-inch rear wheels and 20-inch front wheels are intended to create a forward-pushing stance. The horizontal lines are intended to emphasise the aerodynamic efficiency and width of the car.

The side view of the Nevera R combines the green body colour with black carbon sections. The wheels have longer spokes to emphasise their size. The large, fixed rear wing and the new diffuser increase downforce by 15 per cent and aerodynamic efficiency by 10 per cent. The new brakes are made of carbon ceramic with a "silicone matrix layer" to ensure better braking performance, cooling capacity and durability under heavy use.

New Michelin Cup 2 tyres are designed to reduce understeer, increase lateral grip and reduce lap times on the Nardo Handling Track by 3.8 seconds. The negative camber, improved grip and increased downforce make the Nevera R particularly efficient.

Rimac states the storage capacity of the battery as 108 kWh, while the normal Nevera has 120 kWh (from 6960 cylindrical cells of type 2170 according to the official PDF data sheet). So does the Nevera have less storage capacity? Probably not, because according to the usually well-informed magazine Autocar, it is the same battery, so 108 kWh is probably the net capacity. The Nevera has enough juice for 490 WLTP kilometres, but it is not yet known how far the Nevera R will get.

Performance data of the Nevera R:

• Top speed: 256 mph
• 0-60 mph: 1.74 sec.
• 0-62 mph: 1.81 sec.
• 0-124 mph: 4.38 sec.
• 62-124 mph: 2.46 sec.
• 0-186 mph: 8.66 sec.
• Quarter mile: 8.23 sec.

The Nevera R is always painted in "Nebula Green". There are new colour and trim options for the cockpit. Painted carbon elements can match the exterior colour or be personalised according to customer requirements. According to Autocar, the Nevera R costs £1.97 million.

Production is limited to just 40 units worldwide, while the normal Nevera (from £1.72 million) is limited to 150 units. However, as the British motoring magazine reports, the 40 units are included in the total number of 150. This is because not all of the 150 units have been sold, even three years after the market launch.

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The bottom line

We previously thought that the Rimac Nevera was a super sports car, but now we learn that it is "only" a hyper GT, i.e. more of a touring car. Only the new Nevera R is supposed to be a real hyper sports car. Well, so be it.

The sprint performance is 0.16 seconds better. I wonder if you can feel that? And if so, what environmental conditions (what tarmac, what outside temperature, what tyre temperature, etc.) do you have to have to achieve this value? How often can you repeat this sprint? We suspect that the Nevera R is primarily a marketing measure to sell all 150 planned Nevera.