Rimac Nevera Beats Formula One Car and McMurtry Spéirling in carwow Drag Race

As the only two-seater, and a road-legal GT hypercar, the Nevera is already at a distinct disadvantage. But it was always the vision during its conception that this car not only be extraordinarily fast in a straight line, but also able to go the distance in supreme comfort, with space for two people and their luggage. The Red Bull Racing RB8 and McMurtry Spéirling, meanwhile, are dedicated track-focused machines, almost shrink-wrapped around the driver. Both masterpieces of engineering and design, but very single-mounded in their focus.

In the first run of the day, the Nevera lined-up on one of the UK’s longest runways ready to claim another record during a year of setting new benchmarks. The Nevera has already smashed more than 20 performance records this year alone, including setting new world-beating times for 0-60mph, 0-100mph, and 0-186mph acceleration.

With the McMurtry Spéirling’s active aero fan sucking it down to the road for ultimate traction and with Red Bull Racing reserve driver, Liam Lawson, at the wheel of the RB8 this was set to be the Nevera’s most demanding test yet. At the end of the ‘3-2-1’ countdown the RB8’s V8 engine screamed as Lawson deftly engaged the hand-operated clutch, the Spéirling fired off with the ferocity of a rocket and the Nevera’s independent four-wheel-drive – supplied by individual motors – carefully allocated the right amount of torque to each wheel for the optimum launch.

Although the lighter machine got off the line slightly quicker, the Nevera immediately reeled them in with its 1,914hp powertrain, finishing just ahead of both at the ¼-mile mark. In the second race, the Spéirling finished first, but the Nevera once again proved its ability during the final ¼-mile race of the day, and the rolling race from 50mph to ½-mile to become the overall champion, and the fastest car ever to run in a carwow drag race.

In July, the Nevera took on the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb for the second time and clocked a blistering 49.32-second time in the Supercar Shootout, making it not only the fastest electric production car to tackle the iconic twisting hillclimb but also the fastest production car of any type to do so in 2023. It will be making more record-breaking attempts later in the year, too.