The world of exotic sports cars has a new member and this one is of… Czech origin.
Been to Prague? It is a company that began in the late 1800s as a manufacturer of steam trains and industrial machinery, then began assembling automobiles, motorcycles and commercial vehicles in 1907. More recently, it has specializing in off-road and rally vans, but also in karts and racing cars for one-make series around the world.
Now Praga arrives with a prototype car focused on the track but legal on the road: the Bohema. The idea is to make it a small-scale production from 2023 targeting many markets around the world, including the United States.
Photo: Prague
Challenge met
It was former F1 driver and current IndyCar driver Romain Grosjean, who is also a Praga brand ambassador, who challenged the company to create a new race car that offered a truly unique yet capable performance and driving experience. to welcome a passenger and go on trips across the country.
With its carbon fiber monocoque structure, this mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-seater sports car weighs less than 2,200 pounds, including just 396 pounds of unsprung mass. Its design is even more radical than that of a Pagani Huayra or a Hennessey Venom F5, for example, while the mirrors hung at the end of long rods are reminiscent of these two models. It’s closer to the Delage D12 developed with the help of Jacques Villeneuve.
Photo: Prague
Let’s talk about the engine. Praga opted for a biturbo six-cylinder sourced from the Nissan GT-R. Adapted for the Bohema, the latter generates 700 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and a torque of 534 lb-ft between 3,000 and 6,000 rpm. Nothing to do with the best bombs on the planet. We do not know its acceleration force from 0 to 100 km/h, but the engine allows a top speed of 300 km/h.
For the rest, the Bohema has a race-derived sequential gearbox (with semi-automatic mode), fully adjustable track-focused suspension, carbon-ceramic disc brakes with six-piston calipers up front. as well as semi-slick Pirelli Trofeo R tires on 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels. It has an aerodynamic downforce of 1,984 pounds at a speed of 250 km/h. Oh, by the way, bespoke compartments on either side provide room for pilot helmets.
Photo: Prague
“I was blown away by the incredible performance of the Bohema on the track, its friendliness on the road and its ease of transitioning between the two,” said Grosjean. On the road, the car masks bumps well, you can have a conversation with the passenger, and everything is calm. Then, without changing anything, you arrive on a circuit and the sensations reach another level by pushing the car to the limit lap after lap. We still have a few months to refine the road behavior and improve the lap times! »
Ultra-exclusive
Once development is complete in the first half of 2023, Praga will hand-assemble each of the 89 examples of the Bohema (in honor of the 89th anniversary of its important motor racing victory in 1933) at the facilities of its partner Kresta Racing. .
Photo: Prague
The price? No less than US$1.31 million. Reservations have already started. Customers will be able to pick it up at a dedicated center in the UK and receive on-track training to fully exploit the potential of their car.