If requested what nation builds one of the best efficiency vehicles, what would your reply be? Italy? Germany? England? The reply could be very a lot debatable after all, however I wager none of you’ll have provide you with “the Czech Republic”. And regardless of that, one of many oldest automobile firms on this planet truly originates from Prague, the capital of what we now know because the Czech Republic. Referred to as Praga, this firm has put its Bohema hypercar in manufacturing lately, after greater than 5 years of growth put into it. So, is it any good? I wouldn’t have the ability to let you know, actually, as I’ve not seen it in individual, not to mention being allowed to have a go at driving one. However it appears mighty promising, I let you know! With that in thoughts, let me speak you thru one of many newest and presumably biggest hypercars made to this point.
From vehicles to vans to aeroplanes
The identify Praga may not have the attract of Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Ferrari or Porsche however it might probably look again on an extended historical past than any of these. The corporate was based in Prague, Czech Republic in 1907 and has constructed all kinds of autos for civilian and navy functions. It constructed every little thing from vehicles to vans, to buses and even aeroplanes. It began as a enterprise between František Ringhoffer and the First Bohemian-Moravian Machine Works firm however the identify modified to Praga in 1909.
The corporate not solely constructed vehicles, bikes and different autos beneath its personal identify but in addition engines and gearboxes to be equipped to varied different firms. One of the crucial notable autos produced by Praga was the V35 truck utilized by the Czechoslovak Military for over half a century. Following a bombing in the course of the Second World Warfare, the factories had been largely destroyed and shortly after the battle, civilian automobile manufacturing stopped fully. Utility autos could be in steady manufacturing although, till in 2011 Praga unveiled the R4S and the corporate was again to constructing vehicles.
By now, Praga is a widely known race automobile builder and one of many greatest producers of karts with an annual manufacturing of greater than 7,000 items. It additionally builds the ZS800 motorbike primarily based on a 1928 Praga bike, has entered the Dakar rally with the V4S DKR, hosts its personal Praga Cup racing sequence within the UK with the R1 racing automobile and is ready to ship the all-new Bohema hypercar to its first batch of purchasers later this yr.
The Praga Bohema
The Bohema is Praga’s newest creation and is about to enter manufacturing as we communicate. It was developed by the Czech firm from the bottom up apart from a couple of elements together with the engine, which I’ll get to later. Constructed by hand as a track-focused hypercar, the Bohema is claimed to ship breathtaking efficiency due to its very low kerb weight, superior aerodynamics, and energy to match.
It begins with an in-house constructed carbon fibre monocoque chassis and physique construction. Intensive weight saving and use of space-age supplies hold the burden down to simply 982 kilos, which is kind of an achievement for such a automobile! Praga’s race automobile experience shines by from finish to finish, with a really low frontal space, swooping wheel arches, a slim cockpit and much and many tunnels, flaps, inlets, shops and wings to let the air neatly circulate over it. The design has been examined and perfected in a wind tunnel with the assistance of an F1 racing group (Praga doesn’t point out which one). Praga claims that it hits over 900kgs in downforce at a velocity of 250kph, which is extraordinarily excessive for a street automobile. The result’s a really edgy and dramatically formed automobile that has an actual sense of goal. It’s primarily a automobile constructed with racing in thoughts but fitted with a license plate.
Engine-wise, Praga makes use of the twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 engine from the Nissan GT-R, feeding energy by a operated by hand 6-speed sequential transmission by Hewland. Though the usual block is already very potent, Praga ups the output to 700 horsepower and 725Nm of torque. Mix that with the sub-1000 kilos the automobile weighs, and you find yourself with a power-to-weight ratio of 1,40 kilos per horsepower. And to place that quantity in perspective, that’s higher than the present Le Mans Hypercars! Praga guarantees a 0-to-100kph acceleration of lower than 3.5 seconds and a high velocity of nicely over 300kph.
The cabin provides area to 2 folks, though it’s a must to be fairly pleasant together with your passenger, because the cockpit is kind of slim. Every thing on the within is designed with perfection in thoughts, and completed by hand. The steering wheel has paddles behind it to shift by the gears, a display screen within the centre for the velocity, revs, gear, temperature and so forth, and buttons for the indications, horn and lights beside it. Regardless of the very targeted nature of the automobile, you do get some creature comforts like air-conditioning, a baggage compartment and suave Alcantara seats. The seating place could be very low, virtually like a System race automobile, which I think about solely provides to the visceral expertise the Bohema will ship when it hits the street.
Ben Collins authorised
Over the previous yr or so, Praga has put the Bohema prototype by its paces and enlisted the assistance of some very prolific racing drivers, together with one Ben Collins. For these not aware of the identify, which I can totally think about, Ben Collins was the one who portrayed The Stig (the white one) for High Gear. And no, it was not Michael Schumacher. That was just a bit stunt Clarkson, Hammond and Might pulled to get the Ferrari FXX to hit the High Gear observe.
Ben Collins is an expert racing driver who’s employed by Praga as the corporate’s growth driver. Honing the Bohema to perfection, it’s now coming into manufacturing and is scheduled to be delivered later this yr. And purchasers greatest put together as a result of, from the appears of it, the Bohema could have boatloads of mechanical and aerodynamical grip to the purpose it is going to take some real talent to deal with this at excessive speeds! Listening to Ben Collins say it is likely one of the quickest, if not the quickest automobile he’s pushed across the High Gear observe in Dunsfold ought to paint a reasonably vivid image.
The value for this laser-focused efficiency and dedication to power-to-weight, you ask? A cool EUR 1,36 million a pop. So, sure, one other wealthy man’s toy for positive, however one to vow some record-setting efficiency within the course of!
For extra info, please go to PragaGlobal.com.
Editorial Notice: All pictures used for instance this story are offered by, and used with permission of Praga Vehicles except said in any other case.
