Rimac Nevera sets new world record, in reverse

It may not be the fastest car around a racetrack, but when it comes to driving in a straight line, few cars have the pace to beat the Rimac Nevera EV.

The 1,914-hp hypercar has been racking up a number of acceleration and braking records in recent months, and now it has set a record for the fastest speed achieved by a production car while driving in reverse.

With Rimac test driver Goran Drndak behind the wheel, a Nevera on Oct. 7 reached a speed of 171.34 mph (275.74 kph) driving in reverse on one of the straights of the Automotive Testing Papenburg complex in Germany, a feat made possible as the Nevera doesn’t have any gears. For reverse, its four electric motors just spin backwards.

However. the Nevera and all of its cooling systems and aerodynamics were never engineered to handle such speeds in reverse. According to the company, simulations showed the car could achieve 150 mph but beyond that was uncharted territory.

The steering for the run itself also wasn’t preprogrammed. Drndak was controlling the vehicle the entire time, watching out the rearview mirror to ensure he remained on course and would be ready to brake on time.

In addition to the latest record, the Nevera also has also achieved production-car records for a 0-60 mph time (1.74 seconds), a quarter-mile time (8.25 seconds), a standing-mile time (20.59 seconds), and a 0-100-0 kph time (3.99 seconds). It also has the EV top speed record after reaching 256 mph a year ago.

First shown in 2018 as the C_Two concept, production of the Nevera started in July 2022. Rimac plans to build just 150 examples, after which the company will move on to other projects, including the next generation of Bugatti hypercars.