Praga Bohema Shatters Top Gear Lap Record with Ex-Stig at the Wheel
The Czech Republic doesn’t just make beer and Škodas. The Praga Bohema, a 700-horsepower carbon-fiber missile, tore around the Top Gear test track in 1:09.84, outpacing giants like the Koenigsegg Jesko Attack, Ferrari SF90 Stradale, and Porsche 911 GT2 RS. And it did so without a hint of hybrid tech—just raw internal combustion power.
Behind the wheel was none other than former Stig, Ben Collins. A man who knows the Dunsfold track like the back of his hand. Driving the Bohema on regular road tyres, without any special setups, he clocked the third-fastest time ever on that circuit. Only the hybrid monster Aston Martin Valkyrie, with its 1,140 horsepower, went quicker—and just by 0.14 seconds.
What makes the Bohema such a track weapon? For starters, it weighs under 1,000 kilograms—roughly the size of your average horse. Its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6, sourced from the Nissan GT-R and tuned by Britain’s Litchfield Engineering, delivers 700 horsepower and 725 Nm of torque. The engine features a dry sump lubrication system, allowing a lower center of gravity and better oil delivery at high revs. Add a titanium exhaust, which not only sounds glorious but also sheds weight, and you've got a beast on your hands.
Power is sent to the rear wheels through a Hewland six-speed sequential gearbox, outfitted with a robotized clutch that enables a semi-automatic driving mode. This setup launches the Bohema from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.3 seconds and pushes it beyond 300 km/h at full tilt.
But the real ace up Bohema’s sleeve is its aerodynamics. At 250 km/h, it generates 900 kg of downforce—almost as much as the car itself weighs. That keeps it glued to the track, delivering mind-bending grip and composure through corners.
Praga plans to build just 89 units of the Bohema, marking the company’s 89th anniversary. The first deliveries rolled out in late 2024, with three more set for handover at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The price? Around 1.3 million euros. But if you consider that it humbles even the most advanced hybrids, it might not be so steep after all.
The Bohema stands as living proof that pure internal combustion isn’t dead yet. It’s a street-legal Le Mans prototype with a heartbeat, offering a driving thrill that’s hard to match. From the land that gave us Pilsner, here comes something that might just be even better.
