Rimac Nevera Sets Guinness World Speed Record Going in Reverse, This Is How Fast It Was

Back in the 1960s, the Lamborghini Miura was the fastest production car in the world. It was powered by a V12 engine and could shatter the 170 mph (274 kph) speed barrier to pieces. More than half a century later, the Rimac Nevera manages to hit the same speed and even go faster. But does it while driving backwards. The model is now the Guinness World Record title holder for the fastest driving in reverse.

The test, which was witnessed by Guinness World Records and verified using data measured by Dewesoft, took place at the Automotive Testing Papenburg facility in Germany. It is the exact place where the car broke more than 20 acceleration and braking records on a single day earlier this year. That is also where it hit the record-breaking top speed of 256 mph (412 kph).

The car that broke the new record wore the Time Attack Edition livery, available to only 12 customers worldwide. The Nevera hit 171.34 mph (275.74 kph). Since the drivetrain of the hypercar sports no gears, the four motors can either go backward or forward. Many cars today have their reversing speed electronically limited. But not this one.

When the development team got the idea that the Rimac Nevera might be the fastest car in reverse, they laughed the idea off and kept focusing on more important issues. Besides, the aerodynamics of the car, the cooling, and stability were not engineered for driving backwards at high speed.

But then they had the “what if?” moment and decided to give it a shot. Simulations showed that the car go do 150 mph (241 kph) in revere. But would the car be stable enough going in the wrong direction?

The 23 records held by the Nevera going forward did not provide much of an expertise when going backwards. Yet they just had to do it. And they did it! It was a walk in the park for the Nevera. Better make that a backward walk in the park.

The Rimac Nevera in figures

The all-electric Croatian hypercar is powered by four surface-mounted magnet motors, each driving a wheel. Together, they generate 1,888 horsepower (1,914 PS) and 1,741 lb-ft (2,360 Nm) of torque.

The Nevera can flash from 0 to 60 mph (0-97 kph) in 1.74 seconds, covers the quarter mile in 8.25 seconds, and hits 249 mph (400 kph) in 29.93 seconds.

The hypercar still holds the record set back in August for the fastest production EV at the Nurburgring, where it ran a lap in 7 minutes and 05.298 minutes.