The Rimac Nevera's record from 0 to 400 kph and back to 0 was short-lived. Koenigsegg announced on June 16 that the Regera broke it. There is no word on the quarter-mile record, but that probably has to do with the Swedish automaker not talking about that. On May 25, I wrote about two world records that the Aspark Owl broke related to the highest average speed in the quarter mile and the eighth mile. Theoretically, the Nevera was beaten by the Japanese electric hypercar, but not officially – and the reason may surprise you.
Let me clarify that a bit further. Apart from the 0-400-kph-0 record, the Rimac Nevera broke 22 other automotive achievements. Among them, there were two closely related to those of the Japanese electric hypercar: the lowest times in the 1/8-mile and 1/4-mile for a production car. However, think about that with me for a while: if the Aspark Owl scored the highest average speeds in the quarter mile and eighth mile, it must also have the lowest time to reach those distances. It would be illogical to have any other outcome.
Guinness World Records granted the Japanese electric hypercar its records after UKITA verified these average speeds at Elvington Airfield, York, UK, on May 2, 2023. I contacted the entities responsible for certifying the Aspark Owl's record. Although UKITA never got back to me, the answer Guinness World Records gave me was educational and frustrating at the same time.
Photo: Aspark
The equipment used in these evaluations is either the VBox, from RaceLogic, or something very similar. Car magazines also use it to perform their tests. The VBox simultaneously measures several parameters of a run, whether you want it or not. All you have to do is extract the data you need: time, speed, distance, G forces... You name it. That said, UKITA certainly knows how much time the Owl demanded to reach 1/8-mile and 1/4-mile. According to Guinness World Records, the problem is that it makes no difference to have the time if the proper governing body for each record attempt is not involved.
For you to have an idea, the fastest electric car to run the quarter mile is a modified BMW M3 E30. It set the best time in 2012, and it was driven by Mate Rimac. If all that sounds familiar, this electric M3 was the vehicle that led Rimac to develop the automaker with his name and, eventually, to the Nevera. Although the founder was aware of the procedures to have the records verified, he apparently did not ask FIA to confirm what the Nevera achieved. In other words, Guinness World Records does not recognize its numbers. It probably also does not consider what the Koenigsegg Regera achieved.
Photo: YouTube/@Koenigsegg
For that to happen, the vehicles should have followed the protocol. In other words, "the fastest time records must be carried out under the auspices of the FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, or the International Automobile Federation)." Koenigsegg even said that the record was official because it was measured by a VBox, but that is not that easy. Guinness World Records said that Rimac should approach FIA if it wanted its Nevera records certified. Koenigsegg could have made that unnecessary if it cared to contact FIA for its record attempt.
So there you have it: more than establishing a record, the companies doing that have to consider the bureaucratic requirements to have it recognized. It is like auditing numbers in any automaker. They may claim to make a fortune with each car they sell, to be highly profitable, and so forth. That is (theoretically) only credible if certified accountants confirm the figures are correct. With some of these accounting behemoths also facing credibility issues, not even that sort of precaution helps.
Photo: Rimac Automobili
Would these carmakers pursuing world automotive records be ignoring FIA and other governing bodies due to costs? It may be the case that the investment in getting proper certification does not pay off in terms of media or brand awareness targets. Would credibility also be playing a role in their decision not to have these entities conduct these record attempts? I may turn this into a new story in the future, but I confess it is not a priority right now. There are more interesting things to cover in the automotive world.
Regardless of the reasons, the deal is that these records are not composed only of a VBox, a camera, the car, and a talented pilot willing to take it to its limits. That may have been the case when GPS tech was not available, and chronographs were all they had to check which vehicles were quicker, faster, and more efficient at performing everything that made a car remarkable. These romantic times are long gone. Believing you have the best car and trying to prove it without governing bodies is as effective as an ashtray on a motorbike.
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