The Green Monster
The story begins with an explosion. In 2007, 19-year-old Mate Rimac was racing his old BMW E30 when the gas engine failed. Instead of buying a new engine, he decided to convert the car to electric power.
People laughed at his "washing machine on wheels." But when that BMW (the "Green Monster") started beating gas-powered race cars and setting FIA world records, people stopped laughing. This project birthed Rimac Automobili.
Concept_One: The Proof
In 2011, Rimac unveiled the Concept_One. It was one of the world's first true electric hypercars. It became globally famous for two reasons:
1. Its incredible torque vectoring technology.
2. Richard Hammond famously crashing one off a Swiss mountain during The Grand Tour. While the crash was tragic, it ironically proved how strong the car's carbon monocoque was, as Hammond survived.
The Nevera: Bending Physics
The successor, the Rimac Nevera (named after a sudden Croatian Mediterranean storm), is a numbers game that sounds fake.
1,914 Horsepower.
0-60 mph in 1.74 seconds.
It currently holds over 20 acceleration and braking records. It doesn't just accelerate; it rearranges your internal organs. It features a "Drift Mode" that uses precise computer control to let anyone look like a professional driver.
The Bugatti Merger
In a twist that nobody saw coming, in 2021, the Volkswagen Group handed the keys to Bugatti over to Mate Rimac.
The new company, Bugatti Rimac, is led by Mate. It is an incredible achievement: a 33-year-old Croatian innovator taking charge of the most historic French luxury brand in the world.
Buying Advice: Beyond Money
Buying a Rimac isn't just about having $2 million. It is about patience. Production numbers are extremely limited (150 units for the Nevera). However, you might drive a Rimac without knowing it; they supply battery and motor technology to Koenigsegg, Aston Martin, and Pininfarina.
Rimac represents the new era of speed, born not in a boardroom in Germany, but in a garage in Sveta Nedelja.