The historic automotive company Praga, currently a global player in various on- and off-track racing disciplines around the world, revealed its all-new road-legal hypercar in pre-production prototype form: a high-performance, low-volume, beautifully-appointed car designed around three core principles – lightweight, carbon, gasoline.
The new Praga Bohema is a sub-2,204 pounds, mid-engined two-seater that, in the right hands, is capable of extreme high performance on track targeting GT3 race car lap times on its semi-slick Pirellis. Yet it is also comfortable and practical for head-turning road trips.
With its carbon fiber monocoque and race-oriented fully adjustable suspension, it is extremely light, targeting just 2,164 lbs (wet without fuel), while its powerful Nissan GT-R-derived six-cylinder twin-turbo engine ensures reliability, ease of servicing and the potential for further performance tuning. While the Bohema’s race-derived semi-automatic transmission will support a unique on-road experience with track-focused performance.
The goal? That the Bohema is a uniquely styled, rare and exclusive car that you really can drive to the track, pull on a crash helmet (taken from the bespoke luggage fitted in each of the car’s innovative 13.2 US gallon side pods), put in lap after lap at high speed on its Pirelli Trofeo R tires, and then drive home again.
The inspiration? Longstanding Praga friend and ambassador, and former F1 and current IndyCar driver, Romain Grosjean challenged Praga to deliver a genuine uncompromised two-person road/track performance car, promising a truly unique driver experience.
He was subsequently involved in the Bohema project and highlighted the car’s seamless transition from road to track while delivering extensive sessions on the challenging 3.7-mile Slovakia Ring circuit in recent testing.
“I was astonished by the Bohema’s amazing performance on track, its accessibility on road, and the ease of transition between the two,” said Romain. “Praga truly delivered on my challenge! On the road, you get a smooth ride, the car eliminates the bumps, you can chat with the passenger, and everything is calm and OK. Then simply switch focus and you are on the track. The same clothes, the same car, but the feeling changes and you are pushing the limit and collecting amazing lap times again and again, discovering unbelievable possibilities in the Bohema. And we still have a few months to fine-tune the on-road compliance and on-track lap times!”
The result? The Bohema is an all-new design, developed by Praga’s small, but talented team of engineers and designers, and perfected in an F1 team’s wind tunnel. It uses a race-derived carbon fiber monocoque, with extensive aero providing over 1,984 lbs of downforce at 155 mph. Top speed is just over 186 mph: the fastest speed achievable on virtually any racetrack.
Crucially, the car’s aerodynamically-inspired engineering did not eliminate elegant and intriguing designed bodywork to ensure the car looks fast, and looks good. High quality machined Praga Gold painted duraluminum details include door hinges and a tow hook featuring an integrated rear-facing camera that stand out on the Praga blue show car and reflect Praga’s attention to detail. The Bohema is that rarest of cars with the ‘wow’ factor in both looks and performance.
Unlike many racetrack-derived performance cars, the Bohema’s ingenious interior ergonomics delivers a narrow, aerodynamically honed cockpit yet seats two, 6.5-feet-tall adults with fully adjustable driver’s seat, steering wheel and pedals, generous luggage space, aircon and useful rear visibility. All at less than 2,204 lbs.
Praga’s obsession with its sub-2,204 pounds target weight is highlighted by the Bohema’s cockpit statistics: structurally designed with 56 individual carbon parts, and trimmed with high-quality Alcantara and leather, the cockpit’s target weight is just 74.9 lbs.
The focus on keeping the Bohema under 2,204 lbs is demonstrated by Praga’s remarkable attention to detail in every aspect of the design, with extensive use made of carbon fiber, magnesium alloys and titanium.
Its independent suspension uses pushrod-operated adjustable dampers mounted horizontally for maximum travel while minimizing bodywork height. In such a lightweight car, with just 396.8 lbs of unsprung mass, Praga’s development engineers were still able to keep the suspension supple enough for road use without having to resort to expensive adaptive suspension systems.
The central-locked wheels are 18in diameter at the front and 19in at the rear to offer on-road compliance through their large tire walls, but the Bohema will accept 18in wheels all-round, which ensures compatibility with the FIA GT3 spec tire dimension – the race tire with the widest possible range of competition tires globally. The powerful brakes use lightweight but durable 380 mm carbon ceramic discs with six-piston calipers.
The Praga Bohema is entering the final few months of development with road and track programs planned in the UK, Europe and Middle East and at the Slovakia Ring home circuit. Production of the $1.31m (+ taxes) hypercar is scheduled to begin in the Czech Republic in the second half of 2023, with just 10 cars initially scheduled for 2023 production. A global client visitor and spec’ing headquarters will also be established in England in 2023, building on Praga’s growing race program in the UK.
Approximately 20 cars per year will be hand-built over the following four years ensuring exclusivity for owners, and Praga plans to offer track handover programs with its experienced test-driver lineup for owners to ensure that the full performance and capabilities of the Bohema are understood and accessible.
