Talking Points
- Unfinished C_Two prototype has max power output of 1317kW
- More performance still to come
- C_Two hypercar will have different name when production-spec car is launched
Rimac founder and CEO, Mate Rimac, has shown off the extraordinary accelerative capabilities of his company’s latest hypercar creation, the Rimac C_Two.
In a candid, vlog-style 10-minute video, the 33-year-old Croatian entrepreneur walks us through what the pre-production vehicle looks like in its static form, and more importantly, what it looks like on the move.
Shooting from an empty airfield 30 minutes away from the Automaker’s Sveta Nedelja headquarters in Croatia, Rimac explains the C_Two prototype is one of five development cars, and the hypercar project is currently running at “85 to 90 per cent of performance”.
Despite not operating at 100 per cent of its performance capabilities due to torque and software gremlins, and not yet having a launch control system, Rimac proceeds to performance test the C_Two prototype on the abandoned airfield with unbelievable results.
Verified by third party timing software, on standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres and on a traction-limited surface, the prototype accelerates from 0-60mph (97km/h) in just 2.33 seconds and achieves a quarter-mile time of 8.94 seconds at 155mph (249.7km/h).
These times mean that even this unfinished specimen is the fastest-accelerating car in the world, eclipsing the already biblically quick Bugatti Chiron.
After completing a few more runs and properly warming up the tyres with a few silent burnouts, the C_Two is then pitted against Porsche’s fastest electric vehicle – the Porsche Taycan Turbo S.
When the race starter’s arms drop, the Porsche gets the jump on the Rimac, and sticks in the lead until about 75mph (120km/h), at which point the Rimac walks past the Taycan as if it were standing still.
After the race is over, Rimac shows the onboard telemetry from the drag, including peak power achieved by the C_Two.
At Vmax on its quickest run, the electric hypercar was producing a faintly believable 1317kW (roughly 1766 horsepower).
Rimac concludes the video by saying the performance of the car is still yet to be fully realised, and by the time it reaches production, it will be the out-and-out "fastest-accelerating production car in the world".
With performance like this, it’s little wonder that other automotive manufacturers have invested heavily in the Croatian battery and automaker.
Porsche currently owns 24 per cent of Rimac, while Chinese battery recycling company Camel Group owns 14 per cent, as does the Hyundai Motor Group.
It’s also unsurprising, given the nonpareil pace of the C_Two, that Volkswagen and Porsche are rumoured to be considering handing control of hypercar brand Bugatti over to the Croatian firm.
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