The 1,914-hp Rimac Nevera has been spotted lapping the Nürburgring, though the driver didn’t appear to be pushing the electric hypercar to its limits, meaning the announcement of an official lap record isn’t likely imminent.
It’s possible Rimac was simply gathering data for the autonomous driving system it’s developing to handle popular racetracks around the globe. The idea is to provide the very brave with the experience of a hot lap driven by a professional driver.
It’s also possible the team has started preparation work for an attempt at an official ‘Ring time. Rimac in April set 23 records with the Nevera in acceleration and braking, and said it has set its sights on setting even more records throughout the year.
The records (for a production vehicle) it has already claimed include a 0-60 mph time of just 1.74 seconds, a quarter-mile time of 8.25 seconds, a standing-mile time of 20.59 seconds, and a 0-100-0 kph time of 3.99 seconds.
Circling a racetrack is a very different challenge, though, and one not usually suited to heavy electric vehicles. However, Rimac has made efforts to ensure the Nevera can handle itself at a track, despite the car weighing 5,070 pounds.
The record Nürburgring lap time to beat when it comes to electric cars is the 7:33.35 set by Porsche with a Taycan Turbo S last August. The record for a production vehicle of any type goes to the Mercedes-Benz AMG One, which managed a time of 6:35.183 last November.
Deliveries of the Nevera started last August, with the first one going to 2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg. Just 150 examples are destined to be built, and unlike many exclusive hypercars the Rimac still has build slots available. The price for one is 2 million euros (approximately $2.15 million).