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Forget About Tesla Roadster II, Here's the Rimac C_Two Electric Hypercar

So, they did it after all. Right after Elon Musk introduced the second-gen Tesla Roadster prototype with its 1.9-second 0-60 mph acceleration and the promise to bring it to market by 2020, Mate Rimac, the CEO of Rimac Automobili announced his company's next vehicle would beat that.
Rimac C_Two 9 photos
Photo: Rimac Automobili
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Just to put things into perspective, Rimac Automobili is a small Croatian company that ten years ago was a one-man-show operating from the same man's garage. Now, it's cocky enough to claim it can make a car that's quicker (if not better) than the Tesla, and bring it to market sooner.

Well, looking at its first effort, it's starting to get easier to understand where all that confidence stems from. The Rimac Concept_One came almost out of nowhere back in 2016, and instantly proclaimed itself as the world's first electric hypercar. With 1,088 hp and a 2.5-seconds 0-60 mph acceleration, it had every right to.

The second model, however, the C_Two, is rightfully described as an evolution of the Concept_One. After a relatively short teasing campaign which revealed enough about the car to make us curious (as if it really needed to) but also kept us interesting by hiding just as many features, the wraps finally came off the second Croatian battery-powered hypercar.

We already knew what kind of power output to expect - 1,914 hp or 1,408 kW - but that's only half the story. The C_Two is also capable of hitting a limited top speed of 258 mph (412 km/h), with the first 60 mph (97 km/h) of those coming in just 1.85 seconds. That's almost quicker than you can sneeze.

It's not exactly bad to look at either. The legacy of the Concept_One is kept alive, but it's also turned up a few notches by the C_Two. Slightly weird for such a beautiful car, the things that will probably catch your eye first are the aerodynamic wheels. Developed together with Pirelli, they fulfill two functions: cool off the ceramic brakes and help keep the airflow down the side of the car smooth.

But just because certain things don't pop up and scream "look at me" it doesn't mean there's not a lot more to gaze upon. For instance, the extensive active aerodynamic features of the C_Two. It would be an exaggeration to say almost all of the vehicle's body elements can move, but it's wouldn't be a blatant one: the hood, the splitter, the wing (also doubles as an air-brake), and the rear diffuser all change their shape or angle to help reduce drag, increase it, or create more downforce.

The Rimac C_Two gets a 120 kWh battery pack, enough for an official maximum range of 650 km (403 miles) by NEDC standards. It's powered by four motors - one for each wheel - and four gearboxes (single-speed at the front, two-speed at the rear) to make better use of the 2,300 Nm (1,696 lb-ft) of torque (motor-generated, so none of that "at the wheel" BS Tesla gave us).

Speaking of Tesla, the Rimac C_Two seems ready to challenge its autonomous driving claims one day as well, as the car comes fitted with eight cameras, two LIDARs, six radars, and twelve ultrasonic emitters. On the other hand, you wouldn't expect any less from a vehicle that costs in the seven-figure region.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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