• The Rimac Nevera R is an even more powerful, lighter version of the already wild Nevera hypercar.
• As Top Gear magazine finds, it’s almost unfathomably quick, requiring drivers to recalibrate their brains to deal with the acceleration.
• But despite its greater focus, the Nevera R is still civilized and fun at low speeds.

Rimac’s Nevera R is a response to customers who thought the standard Nevera was a bit too tame. (Yes, apparently those people existed.)

While the “base” car has 1,914 horsepower from its four motors, company founder and EV pioneer Mate Rimac envisioned the original Nevera as a sort of grand tourer. Buyers wanted something a bit harder core, so Rimac created the Nevera R, with less weight, more focus on cornering performance, and a power boost to 2,107 horsepower.

Top Gear magazine got its hands on a Nevera R prototype, and predictably, the car impressed. In a video review, TG’s Ollie Kew remarks that the Nevera R is so quick, it forces you to change the way you drive. If you bury your right foot for too long, be prepared to back out quickly, because even in the brief moment between getting off the accelerator and going to the brakes, you’ll still travel a huge distance. Such is the immense speed of what is surely one of the quickest cars ever made.

But for all its mad acceleration—a claimed 0-62 mph of 1.8 seconds and an outrageous 0-186 mph in 8.66—the Nevera R is still pretty civilized, and surprisingly fun to drive at legal speeds. Top Gear praises the Nevera’s McLaren-esque ride and handling, and its excellent steering too.

Sure, you’ll barely get 150 miles on a charge if you really use the available performance, but that seems like a fair price to pay for over 2,000 hp. And as Top Gear notes, all this from a company founded just over 15 years ago. It’s a big accomplishment.

Will it be enough? Rimac has been pretty open about the fact that hypercar buyers aren’t really interested in EVs despite their huge performance potential. Mate and co. will certainly hope upping the ante a bit will turn the Nevera’s fortunes around.

Contact the author: chris.perkins@motor1.com