autoevolution
 

The Hypercar of the Future Battles the Veyron on Track, Pulls a Few Drifts

The more we see of the Rimac Concept_One, the more we like it. The car is low, it looks like you could trip on it if was dark and you weren't careful enough, which is always something you want in a hypercar.
Rimac Concept_One drifting 11 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Rimac Concept_One's trackdayRimac Concept_One's trackdayRimac Concept_One's trackdayRimac Concept_One's trackdayRimac Concept_One's trackdayRimac Concept_One's trackdayRimac Concept_One's trackdayRimac Concept_One's trackdayRimac Concept_One's trackdayRimac Concept_One's trackday
We all heard about Tesla's acceleration prowess, but as impressive as seeing a full-size sedan bomb it on the drag strip alongside sports cars and, sometimes, even cars modified for specifically for this type of races and win, it still doesn't match the excitement of watching this Croatian electric hypercar.

It doesn't really have to do anything, it just has to sit there, with its perfect silhouette, gold paint, and beautifully designed details. But that's because we already know a thing or two - more like just one thing - about the Concept_One, which is that it can go really, really fast.

The car has 1,088 hp, but the fact it uses an electric powertrain with multiple motors means it'll put all those horses where it matters swiftly and with ease. No tire spin, no turbo lag, no gearshifts, just ceaseless acceleration from the word go.

There aren't that many clips of the Rimac Concept_One on the Internet - and we believe we've covered the most important of them - but in all that we've seen so far, it comes out on top. It has battled the Porsche 918 Spyder, the Ferrari LaFerrari and, obviously, a Tesla - although it wasn't the top P100D model, but a P90D with Ludicrous.

Last year, we showed you a clip where the electric hypercar met the Bugatti Veyron, the world's fastest car at its time and still a hell of a ride today. The two went cruising down the beautiful Croatian coastal line on roads as public as they get, so there wasn't that much speed involved.

Now, the pair is at an undisclosed racing circuit where they prepare for a rinse and repeat cycle. This time, however, the EV isn't represented by the company's founder, Mate Rimac, but by its chief test driver, Miroslav Zrncevic. The Bugatti is still driven by the Earl of Pembroke, founder of Wilton Classic & Supercar.

The two hit off right from the start, and after the Earl starts to talk about his racing experience, you almost feel there's a bit of a bromance starting to take form there. As in the previous video, the Rimac guy isn't too impressed with the Veyron, even though he does admit the 1,001 hp hypercar is much nimbler than anticipated.

The Rimac Concept_One, on the other hand, offers a completely different experience. The car has active torque vectoring that helps it take corners and as the Earl put it, it almost makes it feel as if it has four-wheel steering. It also allows to carry more speed through the bends and accelerate faster, which makes it even harder to digest the fact there are no lap times of the two cars. Well, at least there's some high-speed drifting.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Vlad Mitrache
Vlad Mitrache profile photo

"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

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories