Ever heard of Rimac? Until recently we hadn’t either. We expect a lot of people will be finding out about them soon though, with the company introducing one of the most stunning debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The vehicle in question is the Concept One super car, produced by Rimac Automobili. Rimac is comprised of twenty engineers and designers hailing from the country of Croatia (which has no automotive industry).
There, Rimac says they are “making something new and revolutionary.” We’d certainly have to agree, as the Concept One looks to be a pioneer in the electric super car segment (if there really is one yet).
Chief Executive Officer Mate Rimac says electric power is the perfect mode of choice: “I believe that the electric motor is a much better machine compared to the ICE, in almost all aspects, especially for a sportscar.” The numbers certainly are impressive: 1088 horsepower and 2800 (!) pound feet of torque. Insane! 0-60 arrives in 2.8 seconds, on your way to an electronically-limited 190 mph top speed.
The power drawn from these motors would have to be monstrous. Rimac says the Concept One will get around 372 miles on a charge though. We have to wonder if that is an attainable real-life figure.
The power train is anything but conventional, even for electrics. There are four subsystems that consist of a motor, inverter and reduction gearbox. There is one of these system’s at each of the Concept One’s wheels, and they are all independent of each other. It is a system Rimac refers to as all-wheel torque vectoring.
The Concept One’s styling is just as impressive and polished. Gorgeous, in fact. It makes itself known with a brilliant two-tone red and black paint scheme. The look is smooth sand aerodynamic. Up front there is a distinctive LED lighting graphic. The rear has no window, just a smooth service. A camera must be used or something; we’re not sure if that is a detail that will remain.
Beauty continues in the inside with a high-end, minimalist design. It was dreamed up by designers from Pininfarina and outfitted by Bulgarian design house Vilner. For an independent manufacturer to produce a vehicle of this caliber and refinement is highly impressive.
That brings us to our next point: what about production? Despite its name, Rimac says the Concept One is indeed a production vehicle. Deliveries are scheduled to being in 2013 with a run of 88 units. No word on pricing; it is likely to be insane as its specifications list. One thing is for sure; we’re definitely going to keep our eye on Rimac.
