Bugatti Veyron vs Rimac Concept One - electric hypercar takes on the record-breaking Veyron
Can the Rimac's torque vectoring and electric power overcome the Bugatti's mighty W16?
After beating a Porsche 918 Spyder in a drag race last year, the Rimac Concept One seems to be systematically taking on every other hypercar it can get close to. Its latest contender, the Bugatti Veyron, isn’t as high-tech as the Porsche but with 125bhp more power it’s just as formidable.
On paper the Rimac looks like it has the edge over the Bugatti, but only slightly. Both cars produce at least 1000bhp: the Veyron famously has 1000bhp, while Rimac has 73bhp more – an almost insignificant difference when the peak figures are this high. But Rimac claims the Concept One can reach 62mph from a standstill in a time of 2.6sec, just 0.2sec faster than the time we recorded the Veyron accelerating to 60mph.
> Click here to read our review of the Rimac Concept One
The drag race between the old-school Veyron and the cutting-edge Rimac was held near Zagreb, Croatia. With temperatures below freezing no records were set, but the cold weather was advantageous to the Rimac. The video shows the Rimac shoot off at such a rate that it looks like it gets a head start.
The Rimac’s initial lead can be put down to its newer, more sophisticated traction and launch control systems, allowing it to overcome whatever grip the tyres may lack. It has an electric motor at each corner and can actively distribute torque to specific wheels; this helps the Rimac utilise its instantly available torque and beat the Veyron off the line.
> Find out what happened when we raced the Bugatti Veyron against the Nissan GT-R
The Veyron doesn’t give up easily, though, and once its four turbochargers are boosting the 8-litre W16 engine it starts to edge closer and closer to the Rimac. We won’t spoil the outcome for you; you’ll just have to watch the video to see who wins.
The Rimac Concept One will be on display at this year’s Wilton Classic & Supercar show and will be part of a special ‘future of driving’ exhibition. Lord Pembroke, the founder of the show, is the owner and driver of the Bugatti in the drag race. His car will undoubtedly be on display at the show too, which takes place at Wilton House on the 3rd to 4th June.
