Praga is commencing deliveries of its track-focused, albeit road-legal, Bohemia hypercar, following extensive testing in 2023. Prague, Czech Republic-based Praga notes that “since 1907, we have designed, developed and produced racing cars, road cars, airplanes, trucks, buses, motorcycles and karts for the world”. Indeed, it manufactures thousands of karts each year.
In the car racing world, Praga has been known of late for its R1 model, which it has manufactured since 2013. This carbon-fibre chassis, two-seater coupe is powered by a mid-mounted, 2.0 litre, Renault I4 turbo, driving the rear wheels through a Hewland six-speed gearbox. It has been popular as an affordable racecar for European and national racing series and, for example, one won the UK’s Britcar Endurance Championship in 2020.
A road-legal spinoff R1R was produced in 2016, representing the first road car from the marque in 68 years, to recognise that it was a limited edition of 68 units. Indeed, all of Praga’s automobile manufacturing stopped in 1947; restarting in 2011 with the R4S racecar, forerunner of the R1 and powered by a naturally aspirated, 3.2 litre, Suzuki Hayabusa-based V8.
Like the R1, the R4S was designed as an affordable, user-friendly racecar. Production of the R1R was completed in 2019, and the new Bohemia is the first Praga road car since. Production is intended to be limited to 89 units, to celebrate the 89th anniversary of Praga’s victory at the 1000 Miles of Czechoslovakia race in 1933.
Another carbon-fibre chassis, two-seater, mid-engined coupe with high downforce aero, including the use of a rear wing, the Bohemia again uses a Hewland six-speed gearbox to feed power to its rear wheels. It has concessions to road use, such as luggage boxes in the rear, but it is very track-focused. Its manufacturer claims the Bohemia, weighing less than 1000 kg, will produce 900 kg (1,984 lb) of downforce at 155 mph.
The Bohemia’s engine is the 3.8 litre Nissan VR38DETT V6 twin turbo, as used by Nissan in the GT-R and here, as prepared by British company Litchfield Motors. The company has converted it from wet to dry sump and introduced its own turbo-supercharging system. Power is claimed as 700 bhp at 6,000 rpm, with 725 Nm torque between 3000 rpm and 5000 rpm.