Rimac Concept One: Croatia’s quiet Bugatti killer?

For gratuitous amounts of automotive porn, gearheads have a wealth of cars to choose from. Take your pick from any number of models from the likes of BMW, Ferrari, or Shelby and you’ll bear witness to some of the finest automotive engineering on offer today. On the other hand, electric car enthusiasts don’t have a whole lot to turn the faces of their gasoline-guzzling counterparts green with envy. That is, until now.

Hailing from Croatia and the brainchild of 24-year old entrepreneur and automotive designer Mate Rimac, the Rimac Concept_One is no mere concept; it’s not even concept at all. What we have here is a fully-fledged hypercar that is as powerful as a Bugatti, as stylish as a Ferrari, and as luxurious as a Mercedes, all while managing to forsake even the tiniest sip of gasoline.

For your typical automotive start-up, it’s hard to operate outside the big supercar makers of the world, and even harder to break into that elite class. But that is exactly what the Rimac Concept One is looking to do. For a country that has no real automotive industry to speak of, Rimac has managed to develop a supercar that is capable of rivaling the 1,000-horsepower Veyron.

Rimac Concept One Rear Exterior — Image used with permission by copyright holder

How so? Well for starters, the Rimac Concept_One is capable of producing the astronomical equivalent of 1,088-horsepower thanks to a 92-kWh battery powering four sets of electric motors placed at each wheel. All four systems can operate independently of one another, and accelerate and decelerate hundreds of times per second in what Rimac labels All-Wheel Torque Vectoring (AWTV).

But what does a fancy new powertrain actually translate to on the road? How’s about a 0-62 miles per hour sprint that clocks in at less than three seconds and a top speed a fraction below 190 mph? What’s more, the Rimac Concept_One is able to travel as far as 372 miles on a single charge.

For a car as cutting-edge as the Rimac you’d forgive it the odd indiscretion when it comes to its exterior design. However, just as it forgoes the complexities of a traditional combustion engine in favor of an electric mill, so too does the Rimac avoid any type of convoluted design in favor of a design language much simpler and refined than you might expect.

Rimac Concept One side panel detail — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Like any good design, the Rimac is both memorable yet unassuming; it perfectly juxtaposes the need to provide a commanding presence without assaulting the eye with needless aesthetics. There are details to be had, sure, like the carbon fiber side paneling, exquisite LED usage, strong front grille, and overall dynamism that will instantly grab your attention.

Of course, giving all the credit to the Mate for his Croatian super-electric would only tell part of the story, when in fact the team behind the Rimac Concept_One includes designers from fabled Italian styling house Pininfarina and top Bulgarian leatherworkers from Vilner, among others.

Getting your mitts on the impressive Rimac Concept_One won’t be an easy task. While the electric sportscar may come quietly — thanks to its silent electric motor — it won’t come easily or cheaply for that matter. Only 88 examples are said to be in the works. Now if you do manage to wiggle your way onto the list of potential buyers, you’re only halfway there, because in order to get behind the wheel of this beautiful Croatian creation you’ll need to cough up some hefty coin — $1 million to be exact.

Rimac Concept One LED Headlights — Image used with permission by copyright holder

While Fisker and Tesla seem satisfied to battle it out over luxury sport sedan supremacy, the Rimac Concept_One seems far less content to play amongst its own kind. Instead it’s looking to take aim at the big boys on the block. While it might not share the same type of engine or fuel source, the Croatian super-electric has every intention to match the likes of Bugatti and Ferrari and all other contenders in the supercar segment. What’s crazy — it’s looking very likely that it could.

Editors' Recommendations