The Nevera already holds enough world records – 23 at the last count – that Mate Rimac could probably wallpaper his office twice over with the certificates. So you could excuse us for responding to the appearance of another ‘Rimac record’ email in our inbox with a bit of a shrug, at least until we read the full title and realized how crazy this latest feat is.
Not content with setting a stack of speed records for driving forward, Rimac decided to set one while heading in the opposite direction, achieving an incredible 171.34 mph (275.74 kmh) at the Automotive Testing Papenburg facility in Germany.
Many modern cars have their reversing speed electronically restricted because they can become incredibly unstable, the slightest nudge from your wrist potentially sending you into the nearest hedge. But even cars without speed limiters can’t go fast in reverse because they’re limited by the ratio of that reverse gear. Being an EV with one fixed gear ratio for going backwards or forwards, however, the Nevera could theoretically go almost as fast in either direction.
Related: Rimac Nevera Breaks EV Top Speed Record With 256 MPH Run
“It occurred to us during development that Nevera would probably be the world’s fastest car in reverse, but we kind of laughed it off,” explains CEO Mate Rimac.
“The aerodynamics, cooling and stability hadn’t been engineered for traveling backwards at speed, after all. But then, we started to talk about how fun it would be to give it a shot. Our simulations showed that we could achieve well over 150 mph (241 km/h) but we didn’t have much of an idea how stable it would be – we were entering uncharted territory.”
Back in the 1960s and 1970s DAF cars fitted with CVT transmissions could go almost as fast backwards as forwards, but nudging past 70 mph (113 km/h) is a bit different to pushing through 170 mph (274 km/h), which is what Rimac test driver Goran Drndak had to deal with in this record attempt.
“On the run itself, it definitely took some getting used to. You’re facing straight out backwards watching the scenery flash away from you faster and faster, feeling your neck pulled forwards in almost the same sensation you would normally get under heavy braking,” Drndak said after setting the record.
“You’re moving the steering wheel so gently, careful not to upset the balance, watching for your course and your braking point out the rear-view mirror, all the while keeping an eye on the speed. Despite it being almost completely unnatural to way the car was engineered, Nevera breezed through yet another record.”
