Monday 20th January 2020

How to build a hypercar (company) | Time for Tea

Mate Rimac has decided to spend his Monday's fielding questions. The answers are riveting...

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Okay, bear with us here - this is not the sort of video we'd typically point you at. There's no tyre smoke or daredevil overtaking moves a few seconds in. It's just a car company CEO sitting in a chair talking about his firm. However, when the CEO in question is Mate Rimac, and he's gamely discussing how the eponymous manufacturer got started, it's as least as riveting as anything else we've cherrypicked for you to watch over a cuppa.

The reasons for this are myriad. For one thing, there are very few people (and practically none living) that can tell you a proper, success car company origin story. Or do it as humbly and as honestly as Mate does. He freely admits that his friends and family thought him mad, and that he was dissuaded at virtually every turn. Then there's his nuts and bolts commentary on the perils of building a hypercar, and his frank admission that Rimac got at least as much wrong is it did right to begin with.

Later he gets into the subject of global homologation, which wouldn't necessarily be enthralling if it was a mass-produced electric hatchback - but, again, when you're dealing with a 1,914hp hypercar, it's a little different. Hell, Mate even manages to make the subject of fundraising and the future of car ownership seem fascinating. Either way, if you've got even a passing interest in what it takes - i.e. brains, willpower, enthusiasm - to turn a bright idea into a real-world success, sit yourself back and let one of the industry's most exciting figureheads tell you how it is.

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[Evilex]

You lost me at "Monday's"

[Turbobanana]

Evilex said:

You lost me at "Monday's"

Ha, me too, although I just made it to "a proper, success car company origin story".

[hu8742]

Good for them. I really think they'll be a success. I won't be surprised if one of the bigger, more established car companies buys a significant stake in them.

[anonymous-user]

Evilex said:

You lost me at "Monday's"

Makes me cringe to read it. Seriously, PH, you need a proof reader. There are mistakes in nearly every article. I wouldn't be surprised to see the dreaded "would of" appear next!

ETA: " T&C's " at the bottom of every page on this website (mobile site).

Edited by mstrbkr on Tuesday 21st January 10:07

[romac]

article said:

For one thing, there are very few people (and practically none living) that can tell you a proper, success car company origin story.

Hmm, I can think of Christian von Koenigsegg and Horacio Pagani for a start. Both living, and great piston-headed characters!

Mebbe we need a new sister site - Rotor Heads - where we can all be mates together, if some bright spark can come up with a logo (see what I did there?)

[Vee12V]

They're more of tech company than a car company, as far as I'm concerned.

[Lordbenny]

Evilex said:

You lost me at "Monday's"

Was he taking questions on Monday about ‘fielding’ ? Maybe he plays cricket?

[Europa1]

mstrbkr said:

Seriously, PH, you need a proof reader.

Edited by mstrbkr on Tuesday 21st January 10:07

There may be much irony here.

[romac]

Lordbenny said:

Evilex said:

You lost me at "Monday's"

Was he taking questions on Monday about ‘fielding’ ? Maybe he plays cricket?

Sounds like Mate Rimac has spent all the "fielding questions" he had for Monday. Or, some poor guy called "Monday" has had all his/her "fielding questions" spent for him/her. Either way, it is pretty sad.

[sidesauce]

hu8742 said:

Good for them. I really think they'll be a success. I won't be surprised if one of the bigger, more established car companies buys a significant stake in them.

Porsche (15.5%), Hyundai (11%)and Kia Motors (2.7%) already have stakes.

[Dave Hedgehog]

why did he poach Misha?

[Europa1]

Dave Hedgehog said:

why did he poach Misha?

Because frying him would be unhealthy.

[millen]

He seems to be approaching Musk v. 2 status. What I found most telling was Rimac's remark near the end that the days of car ownership as we know it are numbered. Why would the average Jo/e buy (or lease) a capital intensive vehicle that ends up sitting there unproductively for 97% of the time when they can simply subscribe to a Mobility as a Service AV/EV? This must have enormous repercussions for the motor industry, if it comes to pass.

Talking up his own book, he makes an exception for 'car enthusiasts' and his new hypercar. I do wonder though, if MaaS becomes engrained, said enthusiasts will move to a shared/ syndicate ownership model for their weekend toy. After all, I'd hazard a guess that c. 50% of private planes are group owned, to defray running costs, and given their utilisation is so low. This of course assumes there will be still be roads where non-AVs can be driven!

Interesting time ahead......