In 2009, Mate Rimac started Rimac Automobili having been told not to bother building a car company in Croatia – it was impossible. In 2011 he set a whole host of world records in his self-converted all-electric BMW based on an 1984 3-series, having been told all he was building was a washing machine. Then, in 2018, Rimac Automobili announced the world’s first all-electric hypercar, with performance figures the world said could never be achieved. But just three years later, that car became the Nevera and overshot every single one of those targets, becoming the ultimate record-breaking hypercar and defining an entirely new performance experience. To celebrate 15 years of achieving the impossible, a limited-run iteration of the Rimac Nevera has been revealed: the 15th Anniversary Edition.
Only nine bespoke examples will ever be built, with the first car finished in a new shade of copper, debuting matte paintwork on the Nevera for the first time. The copper shade has been specifically developed for its connections not only with times of celebration, but also to energy, as well as its more practical application as the material most widely used in electrical cables. A new full visible carbon fiber split provides a striking gloss contrast, both in texture and in color.
Each of the nine is connected through a number of consistent features, including the exclusive dual-color alloy wheel design, 15 Years Anniversary badging and the distinctive Rimac pattern – which mimics the connections of a circuit board – running the length of the car.
The interior of the 15 Years Anniversary Edition features copper anodized switchgear and copper-painted surfaces to complement its celebratory exterior. Special one-of-nine and ‘2009-2024’ script adorns the armrest, marking this special edition apart from other Nevera models. The cabin itself can be finished in bold black or pristine white, with the seats featuring a contrasting copper leather and ’15’ embossed into the headrests.
The price of €2,350,000 includes all options, along with bespoke luggage that matches the interior of the customer’s Nevera. The first of the nine exclusive units will make its debut at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed. This customer car will take on the iconic hill climb, the very course where the Nevera Time Attack edition set the Production Car record in 2023 with an impressive time of 49.32 seconds.
Mate Rimac, CEO of the Rimac Group, said: “Honestly, when I started to tinker with my first car in a garage, I couldn’t have even dreamt of being where we are 15 years later. There were so many times in the early years that we really thought the company wouldn’t make it, so reaching the 15-year milestone felt like it was worthy of a celebration. The 15th Anniversary Edition Nevera is the car that marks our progress, revelling just how far we’ve come. From garage to global; from worrying about keeping the lights on to a 2bn EUR valuation; from converted BMW 3 Series to the world’s fastest accelerating production car and from hypercar maker to Tier 1 EV tech supplier and energy storage pioneers. All achieved in a country where all of this would have sounded like science fiction at the time of founding the company.”
Since it was incorporated, the Rimac brand has gone from one man’s dream to a host of companies with over 2,200 employees., working out of sites across four countries in Europe. Today, the Rimac Group incorporates Bugatti Rimac, the world’s ultimate hypercar company, Rimac Technology, which is a Tier 1 supplier to the global car manufacturers and Rimac Energy; an innovative stationary energy storage business.
Phase 1 of the Rimac Campus, a 100,000 m2 HQ and production facility on the outskirts of Zagreb, is already complete with Phase 2 shortly underway. Already, a second facility in addition to the Campus is planned to accommodate growing demand for Rimac Group projects.
But despite its incredible growth and diversity, the Rimac Group exists because of Mate’s desire to build the all-electric hypercar of his dreams: the Nevera. With his dream achieved, the Nevera has become just one shining star within the broader Rimac Group universe, informing the world-leading innovations of Rimac Technology, Rimac Energy and Bugatti Rimac.
A completely bespoke creation, the Rimac Nevera is the most powerful production car in the world and last year alone had set 27 performance records. Key to the Nevera’s speed is its advanced battery system, powertrain and software, all developed in-house at the Rimac Group. The front and rear powertrains – each composed of two individual motors – provide power to each wheel individually. At the rear, a 1MW dual inverter enables 900Nm and 450kW per motor, while an entirely bespoke front powertrain is designed to deliver optimum power and control. All systems are overseen by a complex web of in-house developed electronic control units, working in conjunction with an NVIDIA Pegasus-based supercomputer to calculate and send output to the four powertrain systems 100 times a second. The combination of all these systems, and the software that controls them, is known as Rimac All-Wheel Torque Vectoring 2.
15 Years of Rimac Automobili
- 2009 – 2010 The Garage Phase
After Mate’s old 1984 BMW E30 suffered an engine failure, he converts it into an electric car and races against the traditional race cars, proving the potential of electric drivetrains. The idea of an electric supercar is born.
- 2011 Setting World Records
Mate Rimac sets 5 Guinness and FIA World records for the fastest accelerating electric car.
- 2011 Rimac Automobili is Born
The prototype Concept_One was first shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show as the world’s first all-electric supercar. The car was built in 5 months by the early team of 8 people, the company’s first employees.
- 2013 – 2014 Getting Traction
Delivery of the first car developed and manufactured for another automotive company – exporting the first car ever made in Croatia. This was the company’s first profitable year. A-round of investment completed. A Concept_One prototype goes around the world as the FIA Formula E Race Director’s car.
- 2015 Racing to the Clouds
Rimac designs, engineers and manufactures the Rimac Tajima e-Runner, to tackle the world-famous Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. The team achieves second best time, ahead of all the ICE race cars. The team is now 100-people strong.
- 2016 First production car
The first customer Concept_One delivered, with 7 more to follow. Concept_One
beats some of the most powerful cars to that day.
- 2017 Breaking new ground
A near miss in the Swiss mountains. New investment round opened by Asia’s largest battery manufacturer. As an electrification partner to global OEMs, Rimac intensifies work on new technology projects. The company passed the 250 employees mark.
- 2018 The next generation
The C_Two, today known as the Nevera, was launched at the Geneva Motor
Show with performance and character that elevates the genre. Porsche becomes a shareholder. With the team growing to over 400 employees, further expansion of the production facilities takes place.
- 2019 – Future in the works
The Nevera testing and homologation intensifies. Rimac continues to develop
components for Aston Martin, Renault, Porsche, Cupra, Automobili Pininfarina,
Koenigsegg and others.
Hyundai Motor Group becomes a shareholder, while Porsche increases its stake in the company. The team grows to over 500 employees.
- 2020 – Fast Forward
Testing and development of the Nevera continues. Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, and with the growing number of technology projects, the number of employees grows past the 850-people mark.
- 2021 – The Milestone Year
Announcement of future 100.000 m2 Campus to begin construction in 2022. The company moves past the 1000 employees mark. The production version of the Nevera is launched with first customer deliveries by the end of the year. Rimac Automobili and Bugatti merge into Bugatti Rimac, the best hypercar company in the world, while Rimac Technology continues their work on EV components and pioneering technology.
– 2022 – The Perfect Storm
The Rimac Group raises 500m EUR in a Series D investment round led by Softbank Vision Fund 2 and Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The company Is values at 2bn euro. The first production-ready examples of the Nevera hit the streets, shortly after it breaks the world record for the fastest top speed for an electric road car: 412kph.
2023 – Time Attack
The Nevera Time Attack Edition is revealed, celebrating a record-breaking year in which the Nevera smashed 23 performance records in a single day, set the production car record at Goodwood Hillclimb and lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife quicker than any other production EV before it. Rimac Energy is created as a separate brand, using battery innovations to transform the world of static energy storage.
2024 – The story continues…
Rimac Technology announces a major partnership with BMW to collaborate on next-generation battery packs for its future models. The first stage of the Rimac Campus is fully complete and operational. The Rimac brand celebrates its 15th anniversary.
