Good things come to those who wait. After seven years of development, a couple since the car’s debut and almost 11 months since production is said to have begun, the first Praga Bohema has been delivered. No mean feat - look how many low-volume supercars never even make it from the render room floor. Delivered by development driver Romain Grosjean to a customer in the Netherlands, this is the first Bohema of what’s planned to be a 98-car production run over the next four years. Its first road car in 77 years, no less - so a properly significant day.
While getting any car to production as a small-scale maker in 2024 is a fair achievement, the Bohema’s claimed potential is also pretty incredible. Praga suggests its supercar is as fast as a GT3 car around a track while running on road-legal tyres for the centre-lock wheels, with slicks available for those wanting to mix it with the very serious circuit specials. Its USP, however, is the road-ready side of it, with a 65-litre fuel tank, an exhaust tune ‘so that occupants can still hold a conversation up to road-legal speeds’ and powertrain components mounted independent of the carbon tub, to reduce resonance.
Praga pitches it as a road-legal track weapon, rather than a circuit only monster, suggesting that ‘road trips can be completed with minimal fuss’, though don’t forget this remains a c. 700hp-per-tonne LMP wannabe with a sequential gearbox and almost 1,000kg of downforce. Even if it has been further refined from the prototype drive - when Mike D doubted that the transmission ‘will ever be made to feel even vaguely civilised on the road’ - it’s probably best to think of the Bohema as a track car that can go on the public highway rather than, say, a slightly spicier Speciale.
What a track car it promises to be, though. That carbon tub and carbon bodywork keep the kerbwreight to around a tonne, suspension is by horizontally mounted pushrod dampers, and the Surface Transform ceramic brakes use 380mm discs alongside six-piston calipers. An encouraging start, which is then ramped up with aero optimised in an F1 team wind tunnel; the teardrop shape, unique spoiler design and extensive underbody work promise 900kg of downforce at 155mph. Plus a look like no other: even in the rarified hypercar world, and even if you choose Batmobile spec, a Praga Bohema is going to stand out. It’s like the cross between an open-wheel racer and sports prototype, with exposed elements alongside an almost conventional cockpit. When €1.43m plus tax is being asked, it’s got to make an impression - this seems certain to it. “Magnificent!” was apparently the view of that lucky first customer.
700hp or so ought to make quite an impact as well; the Litchfield modified version of the Nissan GT-R 3.8 twin-turbo V6 has been known about for a while now, complete with dry sump and bespoke blowers. Now Praga is claiming 197mph, 0-62mph in 2.3 seconds and 535lb ft - so, yeah, it’s probably going to be fast enough. Even Grosjean said he was “astonished” by the circuit performance of the Bohema.
It’s the road manners that remain most intriguing though, surely. According to the Frenchman, drivers get “a smooth ride, the car eliminates bumps, you can chat with the passenger, and everything is calm”. Perhaps racing drivers have a higher tolerance. But certainly Praga has made concessions to using the Bohema on road. It’s narrow for the aero benefit but can seat two ‘in race position comfort’, there are storage pockets in the doors for bottles, a bracket for phone mounting and the curved windscreen is said to ensure ‘remarkable visibility.’ You’ll have to deal with a sequential gearbox, yes, but perhaps this really could be the supercar for driving to Spa and lapping faster than anything else. A custom luggage set is available to fit race gear in, and it can be stowed in storage areas in the rear arches. Those wing mirrors mean visibility backwards is ‘excellent’. What more are you going to need?
It seems likely most drives will be solo, and the driver gets a spectacular place to work. Praga suggests the removable steering wheel is a work of art; it’s unlike any we’ve seen before. Everything you’ll need to know is on the screen, from oil temp to driving mode, with stalk items on buttons. The wheel grip and sequential shift paddles have been designed ‘to offer ideal steering and shift control regardless of the driver’s hand size’. The air con controls are in the roof; the centre console hosts only the launch control and parking brake. Carbon is everywhere.
With deliveries underway, the first Praga Bohemas are due Stateside in the spring, at which time additional European cars will also reach customers. The plan is for around 20 cars a year to be made until 2028, hand-assembled in whichever specification the customer desires. Arguably all black doesn’t quite do it justice, but from bare carbon to gold leaf, Praga can accommodate. New owner Tomas Kasparek said of his company’s milestone: “We always promised no concepts, no teasers, no b-s… just a pure, lightweight, very fast and beautifully appointed road-legal race car for a limited number of supercar buyers who can really drive - and that’s what we have delivered.” Sounds right up our street. One more for the lotto win wishlist…
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