(Rimac)
Croatia -- a land of beautiful Adriatic beaches, medieval cities and…electric supercars?
Zagreb-based startup Rimac Automobili unveiled a battery-powered coupe at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show that appears to be quite the dream car.
Featuring an all-wheel-drive system of the company’s own design, Rimac claims the Concept One produces a Bugatti Veyron-like 1088 horsepower and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds. Its top speed is pegged at over 190 mph.
The two-seater gets its energy from a collection of Rimac’s proprietary lithium ion battery packs, each about the size of a small cooler, which are installed in both the front and rear of the car for proper weight distribution and packaging. Details on the capacity of the pack or charge times have not been revealed.
According to Rimac, the powertrain was developed using an old BMW 3-series as a test bed.
Inside the Concept One gets the full leather and tech routine from Bulgarian interior specialist Vilner, a Bulgarian interior design house popular among Europe’s rich and gaudy, although this effort is relatively understated.
Pricing and production plans have yet to be announced, but Rimac claims to have a staff of “20 great enthusiast” working for it, including a team of engineers who previously worked for Pininfarina, the acclaimed Italian outfit responsible for drawing most of Ferrari’s modern cars.
Whether that translates into viability is yet to be seen, but, if nothing else, getting a stand in Frankfurt isn’t exactly free, so Rimac clearly has at least a couple of bucks behind it.