Praga: A road legal race car

Praga might not be a household name – but if you’re into track racing then the 115 year old Czech company with global credentials will be more than familiar.

Praga have announced the release of an all-new, road legal hypercar, the Bohema. With a limited production run of just 89 to celebrate the 89th anniversary of Praga’s historic 1933 road race victory and a price tag of US$1.28 million, it’s probably only something to dream about. But enjoy the dream!

The new Praga Bohema is a sub-1,000 kilogrammes, 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 fibre monocoque and race-oriented fully adjustable suspension, it is extremely light, targeting just 982 kgs (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. Whilst 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 50-litre side pods), put in lap after lap at high speed on its Pirelli Trofeo R tyres, and then drive home again. 

The fast facts to inspire your imagination:

• Road car manners combine with prototype-spec race car attributes 
• Lightweight, targeting 982 kgs 
• Proven twin-turbo six-cylinder high-performance engine, targeting 700 hp ased on Nissan’s famed 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V6 engine used in all its GT-R models since 2007
• Full carbon monocoque chassis and body  
• Extensive and innovative aerodynamics, including a unique rear spoiler design which, combined, results in over 900 kgs of downforce at 250 km/h 

Want to climb inside?

With the race-derived carbon fibre monocoque, the cockpit is necessarily narrow but cleverly shaped to perfectly fit two large adults in race-position comfort. The doors swing open giving access over the bodywork into the cockpit, with steps built into the footwells to allow driver and passenger to lower themselves into their seats without having to step onto the seats themselves. Furthermore, the steering wheel is removable to aid entry and exit. 

Ready to place an order?

Five years since project planning, and testing on track and road began, the Praga Bohema is currently undergoing its final development programme in the UK, Europe and Middle East and will be presented in its final production specification in the first half of 2023. Praga is targeting making the Bohema available as road-legal in all major hypercar markets and is now taking orders and in discussion with potential sales and aftersales partners in countries including Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, UAE, UK and USA. 

Praga Cars UK will manage the Bohema’s global brand hub from a new headquarters in England, providing clients with hospitality, test drive and spec’ing facilities. In recent weeks the Bohema development team has undertaken a test programme from the Dunsfold test track made famous by Top Gear TV. Dry and wet sessions have focused on fine-tuning on-the-limit rear aerodynamics and on-road comfort in the UK, where full road-legal compliance was recently secured. Praga R1 racer and professional test driver Ben Collins – the most famous Top Gear Stig of all – added his Dunsfold expertise in recent weeks and hopes to re-visit with the final production-spec Bohema in 2023.  

Praga plans to hand-build around 20 cars per year, focusing on quality and attention-to-detail over its four-to-five-year production programme: but a maximum of just 10 cars will be produced in 2023 ensuring the first Bohema owners are provided with a car and service of superb quality.