This is the final production version of the all-new Rimac C_2 electric supercar, set to launch in the first quarter of 2021. Rimac is a car maker based in Sveta Nedelja, near Zagreb, in Croatia. The company became instantly famous in 2013 when it unveiled the Rimac Concept_One, an ultra-fast electric sportscar with a limited production run of just 15 units. The advanced technology behind the Concept_One was duly noted by many other automakers, and Rimac moved into component manufacturing, building batteries for the likes of Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, and Jaguar.
With the C_2, Rimac returns to car making. And how. The Rimac C_2 is an all-electric two-seat supercar with scissor doors. Production is limited to 150 units, ten times as much as the Concept_One. The chassis is built around a carbon-fiber monocoque with an integrated and fully structural battery pack. The body is made from carbon fiber and aluminum. The slippery lines make for a drag coefficient of just 0.28 Cd. The C_2 is fitted with an active-aero package for extra downforce.
Power comes from four electric motors, one for each wheel. At the front, each motor has its own single-speed gearbox. At the rear, each motor has a two-speed gearbox. Two-speed ‘boxes are a new trend for electric supercars, developed for faster acceleration from standstill. The motors get their juice from a 120 kWh liquid-cooled Lithium nickel manganese battery. Total output is a mad 1914 horsepower and 2300 Newton-meters of torque. With that, the Rimac C_2 goes from 0 to 100 in 1.85 seconds, and to 300 km/h in 11.8 seconds. It is fast on the drag strip too, taking only 9.1 seconds to cover the quarter mile. Top speed is 412 km/h.
As with all electric cars, big motors and a big battery comes with a price: Weight. The Rimac_C2 comes in at a hefty 1950 kilo. High speed and high weight make for an almost unstoppable force, unless you have the right brakes. The C_2 is fitted with Brembo CCMR ventilated carbon ceramic disc brakes, mated to six-piston floating calipers. The brake discs have the same size front and rear: an enormous 390 millimeters, the largest brake-disc ever fitted on an electric performance car. It won’t be long before we brake through the 400 millimeter threshold! Tires are Pirelli P-Zero.
The C_2 has a fully digital cockpit and, in this image at least, blue leather all around. Rimac says the C_2 will have semi-autonomous driving capabilities, and to make that work it is equipped with a large sensor-suite, including 8 cameras, 2 lidar sensors, 6 radars, and 12 ultrasonic sensors. Interestingly, it still has conventional mirrors, where most supercar and high-end car makers are nowadays switching to camera-mirrors.
When it hits the market next year, price of the Rimac C_2 will start around $1.2 million. If you are too late grabbing one of the 150 units you can call Automobilia Pininfarina. The famous Italian design studio is now owned by India’s Mahindra Group, and they are developing the Pininfarina Battista, basically a Rimac C_2 with a different body, set to launch in 2021 as well.