It looks like all those millions of drag races that Mat staged for carwow over the last few years are paying off for him (and us as well). That's because while the rest of the world sat waiting for the official reveal of the new Rimac electric hypercar, Mr. Watson was out on the track of a sunny airfield in Croatia, experiencing the Nevera firsthand.
No, we're not talking about the Mediterranean wind that goes by that name, but the electric hypercar previously known as C_Two developed by Rimac Automobili. And since driving a car, no matter how quick it is, on a straight track on its own isn't much fun, Mat also has a Ferrari SF90 Stradale, the 1,000-hp hybrid hypercar from the world's most notorious manufacturer.
The situation essentially calls for a drag race, and Mat Watson is not one to wait for an invitation to race two cars side by side. Well, he must have had one to be there in the first place, or otherwise, the clip would have been a lot more awkward, but you get what we mean.
So, stats-wise, the two cars don't really compare—at least not in Ferrari's favor. If 1,001 hp was enough for the Bugatti Veyron to make the headlines back in the day, it's long since it became quite unimpressive. Especially when you look at what the Rimac Nevera's all-electric powertrain is capable of with its 1,914 hp and 1,740 lb-ft (2,360 Nm) from a four-motor setup, all while managing to keep a relatively low weight for an EV, especially one with a 120 kWh battery pack (4,740 lbs/2,150 kg).
Driving the Nevera is none other than the company's CEO, Mate Rimac. We love how Mat calls him "Matty," even though his name is actually pronounced "Ma-teh". On the other hand, considering how many times he's heard his surname pronounced wrongly once it became so popular (it's "Reemahtz," in case you were wondering), he's probably pretty immune. He does get back at Mat a little by mocking his Midlands accent.
Even though special on foreign ground, this is still a carwow drag race so Mat has to do the obligatory soundcheck. Well, he’d better do them while he still can because the EVs aren't going to allow it for much longer. He might have to look for something else—perhaps compare the audio quality of the sound system? Just throwing an idea out there...
So, the first two races go as you would expect with the Ferrari losing badly, so the moment Mat asks for a third race, you immediately know what's coming: he's going to jump the start. Pointless, really, as it doesn't make much of a difference as far as the result goes.
After that, it's Mat's turn to jump into the Nevera, and it honestly looks as though during the first acceleration run, he forgets to breathe. Ironically, that proves to have been the right reaction to the occasion because when Mat tells Mate his time (8.62 seconds for the quarter-mile pass), the latter quickly becomes a lot more serious and informs the former he's the proud holder of the (unofficial) world record for the quickest 1/4 mile run in a production vehicle.
According to Mate, they had previously only achieved 8.7 seconds, and that was on a prepped surface, which means there might be room for even further improvement. Oh, and as a final note that also provides a link to one of the car's future rivals, let's just take the time to appreciate the fact Rimac Automobili didn't push back the date for the release of its new model like others seem to be doing over and over again.
"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) Full profile
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