Rimac Concept One Standard
The Rimac Concept One, unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and entering limited production in 2013, was a watershed moment in automotive history. Created by Mate Rimac, a Croatian entrepreneur who had been converting gasoline cars to electric power since his teenage years, the Concept One was the first production electric hypercar, arriving years before established manufacturers like Pininfarina, Lotus, or even Tesla would offer anything remotely comparable in terms of raw performance.
The technical specification was extraordinary. Four permanent magnet synchronous electric motors, one at each wheel, produced a combined 1,224 horsepower and a staggering 1,600 Nm (1,180 lb-ft) of torque. Each motor was paired with its own single-speed reduction gearbox and independently controlled by Rimac's proprietary All-Wheel Torque Vectoring system, which could distribute torque to any wheel instantaneously. This system could apportion power with a precision impossible with any mechanical differential, allowing the car to adjust its handling balance thousands of times per second.
The battery pack was a 92 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate unit that Rimac designed and manufactured in-house. It was integrated into the carbon fiber monocoque chassis as a structural element, keeping the center of gravity remarkably low for a 1,850-kilogram vehicle. Rimac claimed a range of approximately 330 kilometers on a single charge, though spirited driving would reduce this significantly. The battery management system, power electronics, and motor controllers were all designed by Rimac's engineering team in Croatia, an achievement that garnered attention from major automotive manufacturers worldwide.
Performance figures were sensational. The Concept One could accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.6 seconds, making it one of the fastest-accelerating road cars in the world at the time of its release. The quarter mile was dispatched in 9.9 seconds, and the top speed was electronically limited to 355 km/h. These numbers were not merely on paper; the Concept One repeatedly demonstrated its capabilities in drag races against established supercars, famously outrunning a LaFerrari, a Porsche 918 Spyder, and a Tesla Model S P85D in various filmed competitions.
The carbon fiber monocoque structure was both the chassis and the battery enclosure, a design philosophy that would later be adopted by virtually every electric hypercar manufacturer. The body was also constructed entirely from carbon fiber, with dramatic styling that combined sharp angles with flowing surfaces. Rimac worked with established composite specialists to achieve the structural rigidity required for a car of this performance level, and the result was a torsional stiffness that exceeded many mid-engined supercars.
Despite its prodigious power, the Concept One was designed as a usable grand tourer rather than a stripped-out track weapon. The interior featured leather upholstery, a digital instrument cluster, a central infotainment screen, and climate control. The cabin was compact but comfortable for two occupants, and there was a small luggage compartment behind the seats. Rimac wanted to demonstrate that electric performance did not require sacrifice in everyday livability.
Only eight Concept One units were produced, making it one of the rarest hypercars ever built. One was famously destroyed in a crash during filming of The Grand Tour television show, when Richard Hammond lost control during a hill climb event in Switzerland. The incident, from which Hammond walked away with minor injuries, paradoxically raised Rimac's global profile enormously. The Concept One's success attracted investment from Porsche AG and Hyundai Motor Group, eventually leading to Rimac's merger with Bugatti and the development of the successor Nevera.
The Concept One's legacy extends far beyond its tiny production run. It proved that a small startup from a country with no automotive tradition could build a world-class hypercar, and more importantly, that electric powertrains could deliver performance that surpassed the best internal combustion engines. Every electric hypercar that followed, from the Pininfarina Battista to the Lotus Evija, owes a debt to Mate Rimac's audacious vision.
With only 8 produced and one destroyed, the Concept One is extraordinarily rare and essentially unobtainable through conventional channels. Any purchase would be a private transaction between collectors. Verify provenance directly through Rimac Automobili. The battery pack technology is first-generation and may require Rimac factory service for any issues. The electric motors and power electronics are proprietary and cannot be serviced by third parties. Carbon fiber bodywork damage is expensive to repair and must be done by composite specialists. Maintenance can only be performed at the Rimac factory in Croatia. Given the extreme rarity, condition is less relevant than provenance and documentation.
Only 8 units of the Concept One were produced between 2013 and 2015. Each was essentially hand-built at Rimac's facility in Sveta Nedelja, near Zagreb. One unit was destroyed in the Richard Hammond crash during The Grand Tour filming in June 2017. A Concept_S variant with revised aerodynamics was shown as a one-off. The Concept One served as the technological foundation for the subsequent Rimac Nevera.