It’s no secret that for many of the “record-chasing” vehicles on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Fichtenberg’s phone rings when the question of the appropriate suspension arises or when a KW coilover suspension is already pre-installed right from the factory.
Indeed, 2023 has been a year of continuous record-breaking for this car model. In May 2023 alone, the 1914 PS (1410 kW) electric hypercar, the Rimac Nevera, not only left tire marks on the road but also set more than 23 records in a day.
In July 2023, Rimac achieved the best time for a production electric car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, courtesy of their electric vehicle equipped with a unique coilover suspension from the KW automotive group installed as original equipment. With a remarkable time of 49.32 seconds on the challenging and winding hill climb, the Nevera stakes its claim as the new “King of the Hill” within its segment.
In 2018, our Never-forget-Tribute-to-Georg-Plasa-KW-Team, with Georg Plasa’s BMW E36 Judd, clocked in at 46.32 seconds during the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. We acknowledge that the BMW is a feather-light race car in a league of its own, particularly in hill-climb races.
In the unadulterated acceleration race on the British CarWow YouTube channel, jointly revealed with the CarWow editorial team in early August 2023, the Rimac Nevera hypercar not only outpaced the record-holding F1 world championship-winning car, the Red Bull RB8, but also surged ahead of the current “Goodwood Festival of Speed” record holder, McMurty Spéirling.
Mid-August marked the next chapter of record-breaking achievements. Miro Zrnčević, the lead Rimac test and development driver, shaved off 20 seconds from the current Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record for production electric cars. Let us emphasize this: TWENTY seconds! In a mere 7 minutes and 5.298 seconds, the 2.3-ton production electric hypercar, the Rimac Nevera, triumphantly conquered the fabled Green Hell (track length: 20.8 kilometers).
Had it taken on the shorter, earlier Nordschleife layout, the Rimac Nevera production electric hypercar would have circled the legendary racetrack in a mere 7:00.928 minutes. Incidentally, even before the first questions arose, Rimac consciously opted for Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Sport tires instead of racing tires for the record-setting run.
However, the remarkable feature of the Rimac Nevera lies in the fact that this entire hypercar wasn’t primarily engineered for the racetrack; it was fundamentally a classic GT car boasting four electric motors and an all-wheel-drive system.
Photos/Videos: Bugatti Rimac, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Frozenspeed, KW