Automotive

That financial world segue aside, Rimac is a company in Croatia, started by a young man named Mate Rimac.  Mate Rimac originally had a love for motor racing, drifting, and autocross with a special affinity for old BMWs.  But when his old BMW 3 series hobby car needed a new powertrain (wet sump engines will eventually fail in high G-force environments), he decided to ditch the petrol powered engine and instead decided to go for an electric set up.  Using equipment he bought off the shelf and some parts he designed himself, he was an early self-taught electric car engineer.  His early expertise in the world of electric vehicles made him an early authority in the industry - especially in Eastern Europe.  The Hyundai and VW group sent their engineers to learn from him.  And the rest became history.  Today, Mate Rimac, who is only in his mid 30s, is in control of Rimac Technology (a technology licensing firm) and shares control of Bugatti-Rimac with Porsche Group - with a goal of creating multi million dollar cars that feature amazing specs and pioneering technology.  

I had the pleasure of viewing the Rimac car at a local event, courtesy of Rimac San Francisco.  One of only a couple dozen vehicles or so ever produced by Rimac, this car was an honored guest in Silicon Valley, home to two major electric car pioneers; Tesla and Lucid.  The local crowd of Silicon Valley is normally very practical and less emotional (tech geeks aren't the most emotional people) - thus practical cars sell very well here.  Despite this penchant for practicality, there's also a pioneer spirit in Silicon Valley, and this pioneer spirit was very satisfied with the new brand and its pioneer product.  

I'll let the photos do the talking, but here are the specs.  

Horsepower: 1900 hp

Torque: 2300 newton meters

0-100kph (or 0-62 mph): about 1.97 seconds

0-300 kph (or 0-186 mph): about 9.3 seconds (oh my goodness that's fast)

1/4 mile time (or 402 meter time): 8.6 seconds 

Need I go on?  

Doors that go up like a Lamborghini.  Check that box!  

Overall, the Rimac is an amazing vehicle.  A brand with no pedigree is now going vis a vis or head to head with the most famous established car brands.  Rimac vs. Ferrari.  Tesla outsells BMW in many markets now.  While I can't say I'm planning to acquire a Rimac (a $2M USD car is out of my budget), I can say that we should all expect great things from this brand!  We are witnessing a future brand that will become a household name.  

I'd like to thank Rimac San Francisco, an ISSIMI Group dealership, for hosting this event.  ISSIMI Group is a new kind of automotive dealership group that focuses on multiple aspects of a car collector's journey.  Originally known as the Silicon Valley billionaire's go-to place for all automotive needs, the company has expanded its footprint as its client base has increased significantly.  Many billionaires who used to keep car mechanics on their household staff have since hired ISSIMI to take over management of their collections.  ISSIMI is also international, with offices in Europe.  Far from a typical car dealership, many of ISSIMI's employees come from the corporate side - many from Ferrari and Pagani.  They're highly intelligent and operate with an intuitive intelligence and an expert banker and consultancy approach towards all aspects of car collecting; even international brokerage transactions.  A significant percentage of the active staff are Stanford educated and operate with a competence that's higher than typical Ferrari and Rolls-Royce dealership.  There are at least a couple of WPS members have worked with ISSIMI both in the USA and in Europe - perhaps they'll chime in.  While I haven't worked with ISSIMI (most of their products/services are outside of my price range), I have worked in this sector, so I might know a tiny little bit about the industry - maybe not.  Again, many thanks to Rimac San Francisco for hosting this event!  

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