You've probably never heard of Praga, but that's okay. It seems that there's a new automaker being born every minute. And as much as we realize that EVs are the future, many of these new automakers are just dull. So believe us when we say Praga is worth your attention. You may be thinking that you've looked at the pictures and this is just another crazy track car you can't afford to maintain and drive, but like a roadgoing Porsche 911, the Praga R1 is a racer that is intuitive to drive and evolutionary. With a rich history spanning a century (Praga was founded in 1907), the Czech automaker's just-announced arrival in the US is worth getting excited about.
The latest iteration of the R1 (we love that it shares a name with a superbike) promises close to 3g of lateral cornering force, exceptional aero efficiency, and a respectable 365 horsepower and 302 lb-ft of torque. This comes from a mid- and longitudinally-mounted 2.0-liter turbo "T Engine." In a body weighing just 1,418 pounds, it's no wonder that David Coulthard "was amazed by the R1's agility" and Sebastien Loeb said he "enjoyed it a lot." To impress drivers like those, the car features adjustable to and camber, an adjustable anti-roll bar, adjustable two-way dampers, and double pushrod suspension linked to an inboard pushrod setup.
Sadly, there is a drawback. The engine only lasts 2,796 miles before needing a rebuild, but on track, that's a lot. And best of all, the car is designed to be set up and operated by one person - no need for a big pit crew here.
Praga Racing West is the automaker's first official dealer in the USA. In other regions, Praga also deals with go-karts and a small aircraft called the Alfa (which is similar to a Cessna), but there's a full focus on the R1 here. Where exactly is "here"? It's based at Sonoma Raceway in California and is run by two experienced racers and a racecar owner in Paul Blickman, Tim Barber, and Steven Farrario. Praga says it has also secured former F1 driver Romain Grosjean to help develop future iterations of the R1T, its more hardcore racer. Whichever vehicles Praga brings, there will be a warm welcome as the company has forged "strong relations" with both NASA and the SCCA. We look forward to seeing what's next.