Rimac Nevera Is Fighting for Grip at the Strip, Still Launches Like a Rocket

Following Jay Leno's quarter-mile record of 9.24 seconds, a private attempt revealed that the Model S Plaid can be even quicker at 9.08 clicks. That's a really impressive benchmark for a production model, but it's nowhere near as fast as the Rimac Nevera, which is officially rated at 8.6 seconds.

And the Croatian company isn't just whistling Dixie. A recent test by Carwow saw the Nevera cover the quarter-mile in 8.7 seconds. Granted, it's a tenth-second slower than Rimac's own claim, but that's almost four-tenths quicker than the fastest Model S Plaid to date. And the thing is that the Nevera could be much quicker.

This new footage by DragTimes reveals why. In a rather short video released as a preview of the crew's Nevera, the electric supercar is shown testing at the drag strip. And while it takes off the starting line amazingly fast, its tires are squealing a few good seconds into the sprint.

With no less than 1,914 horsepower and 1,740 pound-feet (2,360 Nm) of torque traveling to the wheels courtesy of four motors, the Nevera is basically struggling for grip. A set of grippier tires would solve that problem and shave maybe a couple of tenths off its already impressive quarter-mile time. I'm guessing it could bring it down to 8.5 seconds or less.

Yes, I know, drag radial tires aren't exactly road legal and would alter the streetable nature of the stock Nevera, but I'd definitely like to see this EV hit the track with proper rubber. But until that happens, check out how quickly this thing launches off the line. It's ridiculous, to say the least!