The Rimac Nevera electric hypercar lapped the Nürburgring in 7:05.28, setting a new world record for production EVs, the company announced on Friday. The run took place earlier the same day, with the announcement coming unusually quickly thereafter.
It's not the first record that the 1914-hp EV has claimed. Last November, the Nevera hit 258 mph, claiming a top speed record for a production electric car. Then in May, the company set 23 acceleration and braking records, including a world-beating 0-60 time of 1.74 seconds. And now it's conquered the Green Hell.
The Nevera snatched the record from the Tesla Model S Plaid Track Package, which had claimed the honor from the Porsche Taycan Turbo S in June. The Tesla posted a time of 7:25.231. Rimac shattered that record, wrapping up the lap nearly 20 seconds quicker. That's no embarassment for the Tesla, though, as the Rimac is a limited-production seven-figure 1914-hp hypercar, and the Model S Plaid is a 1020-hp family sedan that starts around $110,000. It's also worth noting that these times are not directly comparable to older 'Ring records, as the record used to be for a 12.8-mile version of the circuit, while newer records use all 12.93 miles of the Nordschleife. Using the old timing method, the Nevera did a 7:00.928
To celebrate this and all its other accomplishments, Rimac also unveiled a Time Attack Edition of the Nevera at Pebble Beach. The limited-edition comes with green stripes and green wheels, a tribute to one of founder Mate Rimac's first projects: A BMW E30 EV conversion. Buyers get to choose between black paint and bare carbon fiber as their base, and all Time Attack Editions come with green interior accents and special badging. All 12 units have already been spoken for, as is tradition with ultra-exclusive hypercar unveils.
We're sure this isn't the last EV 'Ring record attempt we'll see in the coming years, as we've just now reached the point where electric cars can handle the heat and strain of lapping the brutal track. But for now, Rimac is king.
Arguably the most fickle member of the Road & Track staff, Reviews Editor Mack Hogan is likely the only person to ever cross shop an ND Miata with an Isuzu Vehicross. He founded the automotive reviews section of CNBC during his sophomore year of college and has been writing about cars ever since.
