Watch A Rimac Nevera Set A New Record Of 171.3 MPH In Reverse

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Normally, a Rimac Nevera hypercar going 171.3 mph isn’t a story. After all, this carbon fiber Croatian instrument of weaponized electricity can do 256 mph flat-out, and hitting 66.9 percent of its top speed is in some ways similar to hitting 83 mph in a 2008 Scion xB. However, things are a bit different when a Rimac Nevera hits more than 170 MPH in reverse, breaking a world record in the process.

In case you aren’t familiar with the Rimac Nevera, this electric surface-to-surface missile is proof that the future doesn’t have to be boring. We’re talking four electric motors, 1,888 horsepower, real torque vectoring, a quarter-mile elapsed time of 8.25 seconds, and a fire extinguisher with a very cheeky joke on its retaining strap. It’s the mind-mashing bleeding edge of what is currently possible with electric cars, and it’s been breaking records all over the board.

Earlier this year, Rimac took one of its electric Nevera hypercars, rented a runway, tapped DEWEsoft for data acquisition, and let it rip in reverse. Once an adjudicator from Guinness World Records had reviewed the data, a verdict had been reached: Say hello to the new fastest car in reverse in the world.

Of course, this news shouldn’t be terribly surprising. In an EV, each drive unit typically has a single-speed reduction gearbox and that’s it. Just reverse the polarity, and you should be able to go ludicrously fast in reverse because the gearing and maximum drive unit speed should be capable of the same feats forwards as they are backwards.

Rimac Nevera Gear Selector

In practice, the mechanics of driving backwards are a bit different. Toe and caster settings are effectively reversed, steering comes from the rear, visibility is, erm, limited, and aerodynamics are, let’s just say, altered. There’s a definite sketchiness factor to driving fast in reverse, as evidenced by a college colleague attempting to hit VTEC in reverse and almost ending up in a field. Hats off to Goran Drndak, the driver in this record-setting attempt. He must have nerves made of osmium.

So, why break the reverse top speed record in the first place? If I were to hazard a guess, it’s because everyone into EVs knew it was theoretically possible, but theory can only take you so far. Besides, going fast is fun, breaking records is fun, and manifesting cool thoughts you’ve held in your head is fun. After all, cars should be fun, and if they aren’t, what’s the point?

(Photo credits: Rimac Automobili)

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26 thoughts on “Watch A Rimac Nevera Set A New Record Of 171.3 MPH In Reverse”

  2. Well dang it, it used to be if you wanted to be competitive in backwards racing all you needed was a cheap old DAF, but of course the rich ruin everything so now they have a backwards supercar too. Backwards racing will never be the same.

      1. Thank you. Not sure The Autopian, as well as other sites, didn’t think to include this detail. The Nevera certainly did smash the old record.

  10. My mind immediately went to the Car Talk episode when they talked about an old SAAB beating a fully functioning Corvette in a race. Backwards, as the 2cycle SAAB could be push-started in reverse (while in first gear) then still have the rest of its gears.

    Damn, I miss Saturdays in the garage listening to their cheesy laughter

    1. My buddy had an old 2stroke Yamaha back in the day. One morning he went out and turned the key and it just fired up without being kicked. He just shrugged and went back inside to let it warm up. A few minutes later he comes out, hops on, puts it in gear, and starts going backwards.

      2. Since the early ’00s Ski-Doo snowmobiles (2 stroke) got rid of a physical reverse gear, and with a bit of coding in the ECU, at the press of a button would deliberately *almost* stall the engine, and fire a plug at just the right instant to kick it back and re-start it running backwards. Hit the button again and it’d do the same thing back to normal rotation.

    2. Their particular brand of car enthusiast comedy can never be replicated.
      It was a different time.
      So many Saturday morning waffles and breakfasts made listening to those two dopes rattle on about nothing.
      True heroes of the automotive landscape of the time in my book.

      1. I was lucky enough to meet them in person once, they made me wear a football helmet and strapped me to the front of a Buick they were trying to diagnose.
        I could only let out a high pitched scream.
        They called me “loose serpentine belt” afterwards.
        Fine fellows!

    3. Back when I was living alone, I often dedicated lazy Saturday mornings to chores around the house. Usually cleaning and organizing. Car Talk was a staple for audio. Kind of made me feel like I had company, help even. I tried replacing that with some podcasts later, but it wasn’t the same. They knew how to put together a show, transitions, breaking points.

      1. Warm and human. They were great wrenching buddies to me.
        And, you always had to listen carefully at the end to see if they had slipped in a new name. Over at cartalk.com, there’s a huge list under Staff Credits.

    1. “Crapping your pants in reverse”?
      That sounds unsettling.

      Do I get to un-chew an Arby’s roast beef sandwich a few hours later, reassemble it, wrap it up and hand it through a drive through window for a little cash?

      Maybe stop by a bar after to spit some whiskey into a few empty shot glasses for more money?

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