Its 2023 Rimac Nevera isn’t just fast and powerful, it’s a completely different kind of speed altogether. In Monterey Car Week, the automaker was kind enough to give me keys for the $2.4-million electric hypercar to take a 30-minute drive up and down the hill towards Laguna Seca.

I was equally elated and scared. You see videos of this car taking off and drifting and you read… tales of early prototypes which leave you wondering, “Will this car launch me over a mountain?” It didn’t, at least not.

One of the things that makes Rimac Nevera’s appeal Rimac Nevera, fast as it is it is the fact that you could theoretically drive the car all day. It’s not a fire-breathing machine designed for racing (in reality, there’s not any fire in the car whatsoever). Yes, it’s 120.0-kilowatt-hour battery as well as four motors provide it the greatest horsepower of any production vehicle that’s on the road today 1 914 horsepower and 1,741 pounds of torque. Other than that the car is quite unassuming.

There’s nothing glitzy about the design other than the wide swaths of carbon fiber as well as the door that swoop upwards when you open the doors. The front of the Nevera is simple and elegant and the back is sleek, but in reality it’s lacking appealing angles.

Stepping onto the front seat tells the same situation. There’s a large touchscreen in the center console as is the case the majority of modern cars with lots of leather as well as the wheel filled with controls for audio and infotainment. The seats, too, don’t feel like they’re from another planet; two nicely bolstered Alcantara buckets have ample cushioning as well as solid back support.

To my left to my right is Chief Development Officer Miro Zrncevic. He’s worked on the Nevera from the start and knows precisely what this car can accomplish. Before I leave my driveway, Miro informs me to fire it.

I didn’t want to appear like a fool and so I smashed the throttle around three-quarters up to floorboard , before my mind told me to stop. The Nevera wasn’t even running fully powered yet, and yet, there was no other car I’ve test driven in the same way. Butterflies swarmed around my stomach and I had to relax my jaws while I tried to force my way onto the 15.4-inch carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes to reduce the speed of the Nevera.

Rimac Nevera Rimac Nevera launches to 60 miles per hour in 1.85 seconds. Even then, Rimac says there is an opportunity to make improvements. The force of gravity pressing into my frame indicated that the 60-second speed was extremely precise, and in contrast to its kin the Bugatti Chiron which takes just a fraction of a second to start spooling all four turbos it Nevera is no buildup. Rimac is a beast that Rimac provided every ounce of power at the moment that I required it every moment I needed it.

Two CNC-milled knobs located on the center console regulate the output based on the drive mode, which can range between Cruise and Range in the most tame settings to Track, Sport, and Drift modes for the most extreme nuts. I spent the majority of my time in Cruise and it only managed to uncork approximately three-quarters the Nevera’s power. A quick sprint in Track mode proved that there was plenty of power to go around.

All four wheels are able to handle torque for the most part with the exception of Drift mode. In this mode, the front motors stop and the driver is able to add around 1,000 horsepower to the rear wheels to create tire-destroying enjoyment. I was afraid to even think about it, all-wheel drive and the sophisticated torque vectoring system were on.

However, that torque vectoring system was among the most impressive pieces technology I’ve seen. Once I had gained some confidence, Zrncevic advised me to keep my foot on the ground flat in the corners. This was something I would never do in any other car on the market today. With a little smug confidence I took it and somehow, this 1,914 horsepower hypercar did not end up crashing into the side of the highway. Much success.

The torque vectoring technology basically does everything it can to stop you from damaging it. It can adjust the degree of turn for each wheel, up to 100 times during a second. So, even when it is tilted to full the Nevera can precisely determine the amount of power it will produce, according to the grip it has.

Even for a massive vehicle that weighs 4,740-pounds The Nevera is a smooth and graceful vehicle. Body control is effortless and the cornering is smooth as is the rear grip incredible even with the over-the-counter Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires with a traction system. The steering might not be as responsive as I’d likeit to be, however, it was quick and was loaded nicely as the angles of turning got more precise. The car was did not feel uncontrollable in corners. It’s true, Rimac wanted to make sure that the owners weren’t afraid to drive the car for a long time, so the array of top-of-the-line suspension technology helps you stay at ease and in control.

The Nevera is the kind of vehicle that can turn anyone who isn’t a believer in electric vehicles to an enthusiastic battery lover. No car I’ve driven in my life in the past, or at least not yet is even near to how the Rimac can accomplish in straight lines. The 10 years of production required to reach this point was worth it I’d say.

The price, naturally is in line with the performance. The Nevera cost about $2.5 millions in the US According to Rimac the entire 150 units have already been sold out for the year. But don’t fret, there will be there will be more Neveras will be coming in the in the coming year. And with the Bugatti-Rimac partnership now to its fullest it is hard to imagine what the future will bring for the company almost certainly more speedy cars, if not more.