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Watch: Rimac Nevera Sets New Guinness World Record... in Reverse

by Guillaume Rivard
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Photo: Rimac

Remember earlier this year when Croatian automaker Rimac bragged about setting over 20 new world speed records in a single day? Well, here’s another one that surprised a lot of people, starting with the company itself.

Returning to the same Automotive Testing Papenburg facility in Germany, its 1,888-horsepower Nevera hypercar recently achieved a top speed of 275.74 km/h… in reverse. Witnessed by Guinness World Records and verified using data measured by Dewesoft, the feat marks a new world record for a production vehicle driving backwards.

It completely shattered the previous record of 165.08 km/h set in 2001 by a Caterham 7 Fireblade. And consider this: the Nevera’s reverse top speed matches the forward top speed of the V12-powered Lamborghini Miura, which in 1967 became the fastest production car in the world and the first to nudge through the 275km/h barrier.

Unlike an internal combustion engine car, or even some electric cars, the drivetrain of the Nevera has no gears—the four individual motors either go forwards or backwards. However, as Rimac chief engineer Matija Renić noted, the car’s aerodynamics, cooling and stability have obviously not been engineered for travelling backwards at speed, even though computer simulations showed that it could achieve well over 240 km/h.

“On the run itself, it definitely took some getting used to,” said Rimac test driver Goran Drndak, who was behind the wheel. “You’re facing straight out backwards watching the scenery flash away from you faster and faster, feeling your neck pulled forwards in almost the same sensation you would normally get under heavy braking. You’re moving the steering wheel so gently, careful not to upset the balance, watching for your course and your braking point out the rear-view mirror, all the while keeping an eye on the speed. Despite it being almost completely unnatural to way the car was engineered, Nevera breezed through yet another record.”

Photo: Rimac

By the way, the Nevera is currently the fastest electric vehicle on the planet with a forward top speed of 412 km/h—a record that Rimac plans to improve in the near future. It can also sprint from 0-100 km/h in just 1.81 seconds.

In case you forgot, production of the Nevera will be limited to 150 units globally.

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