Riding in the Rimac Concept One in New York City

The Rimac Concept One is a 1224-horsepower electric hypercar designed and built in Croatia. Only eight exist in the world. So when a customer car from Florida made a detour to the New York Auto Show, we strapped in for a ride.

Rimac developed the world's highest power density electric drive system. Each wheel has its own motor, with a combined peak output of 1224 horsepower.

While the front motors feature single-speed gearboxes, the rear motors carry a two-speed double-clutch gearbox on each side. It may sound complex, but it happens to work very smoothly.

The Concept One is low alright—42.1 inches tall overall, with the rear sitting slightly higher than the front.

Lighter than a garbage truck, the Concept One weighs 4188 lbs. dry, with a weight balance of 44-percent front, 56-percent rear.

Visiting New York for the show, this Rimac normally resides in Florida.

Maximum torque is available from 0 to 6500 rpm—all 1180 ft-lb of it.

The drivetrain is more efficient than a bicycle's.

Due to its size and ultra low body, the Concept One looks completely alien on US roads.

The battery pack is designed to deliver 1 megawatt of power during acceleration and regenerate 400 kilowatts during braking. Both can be adjusted on the fly.

0-62 mph goes by in 2.5 seconds. Top speed is 220 mph.

The Concept One is the quietest car at any red light, even with a Tesla in the other lane.

The battery pack uses lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry with a capacity of 90 kWh, operating at 650 volts. It's liquid cooled and contained in a milled aluminum housing.

Ferrari? Lamborghini? McLaren? Corvette? DeLorean? Bystanders named all of them trying to figure out what this car was. The Rimac puts Croatia on the automotive map.

90 kWh could light up that flag for quite a long time.

The Rimac Concept One is hardly as practical as a full-sized SUV. But it's so much faster.

Can we drive through Central Park? Of course! Plus, it's a zero emission vehicle, so it won't bother the runners.

The suspension is a pushrod operated double wishbone setup, fully adjustable from the cockpit.

Too bad the Stingray name was already taken, because the Rimac looks and moves like a deep-sea predator. It's also quicker than any Corvette, at least off the line.

Buses are expensive, but not as expensive as hand-built electric hypercars. The Concept One started at around a million dollars, only to get closer to two million by the end of the eight-car production run.

And it's worth every penny. There's nothing like it out there, it's beautifully engineered and happens to beat Veyrons and LaFerraris in its spare time. Rimac is making history right now.