After a shadowy tease, Rimac has unveiled the Concept Two, a hypercar EV with an off-the-wall crazy 1,914 horsepower. That’s about 500 more than pundits were expecting, and will accelerate it to 258 mph in 1.85 seconds, Rimac says. Yes, those figures seem carefully calculated to outdo Tesla’s upcoming next-generation Roadster, which is supposed to hit 60 mph in 1.9 seconds and top out at 250 mph. As a dose of perspective, 1,914 horsepower is 400 more than the Bugatti Chiron, currently one of the world’s fastest, if not the fastest supercars.
Built of carbon fiber, the Rimac Concept Two cuts a dramatic figure. Despite the integrated batteries and other touches designed to lighten things, it still tips the scales at 1,950 kg (about 4,300 pounds), which is a lot for a supercar. It will still corner like its on rails, Rimac says, thanks to torque-steering that’s fully independent on each wheel.
Gallery: Rimac Concept Two hypercar EV | 17 Photos
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If you get tired of regular cornering, the Concept Two also rocks a full “drifting mode,” letting you switch between the axles and enable your inner rally driver. At the same time, it’ll make sure that you don’t get into trouble thanks to advanced, intelligent traction control.
It’s not just about the pure horsepower. The Concept Two will have Level 4 self-driving capability, according to Rimac founder Mate Rimac, though we’ll believe that when we see it (there are currently zero road cars with that capability). To aid in that, it has eight cameras, a lidar, six radars, and twelve ultrasonic sensors.
That’s just the start of the tech craziness. The hypercar will use facial recognition to unlock the ignition, for one. It can even scan your face to determine your mood and tell whether you might want some high-speed fun or a more relaxed ride. If it feels you’re looking for the “fun” part, the touchscreen will display racing lines you might want to try. If you look like you’d rather not drift around a hairpin, it can set the Concept Two for “cushy.”
Rimac said it will build 150 copies of the Concept Two, which would be a massive output compared to the eight copies it sold of the original. Also, I wouldn’t count on the Level 4 autonomy, unless Rimac has some thing up its sleeve that other, much larger, automakers, don’t. There’s no word on price, but expect to see up to seven digits in that figure.
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