It’s been almost a year since The Grand Tour’s Richard Hammond barely escaped with his life after crashing a Rimac Concept One. It was a tumultuous one for a lot of people, but apparently, the crash turned out to be a blessing of sorts for Rimac. Despite losing one of its $2.1 million machines because of the crash, the accident, and the subsequent media exposure it received, helped the company sell three units that same day.

Richard Hammond Crashing the Rimac One

For those who need a refresher, Richard Hammond nearly lost his life on June 10, 2017 during a hill climb event in Hemberg, Switzerland as part of a segment that was being shot for The Grand Tour. Hammond lost control of the Rimac Concept One he was driving, sending the car rolling down a hill a few times before ending up in a fiery blaze. The Hamster suffered significant injuries because of the crash but has since recovered from all of it.

It was a difficult day for a lot of people, including Rimac, which saw one of its $2.1 million units get completely destroyed. But in a conversation with Autocar, Rimac’s head of sales, Kreso Coric, admitted that on the same day as Hammond’s accident, the company was able to sell three cars despite the company not having any plans of actually selling the model.

“The Concept One was called that because it was just a learning project,” Coric told Autocar. “We never meant to sell it. But the crash [Hammond’s accident] happened and we got lucky with that. We sold three cars that day. It was the best marketing ever.”

Richard Hammond nearly lost his life on June 10, 2017 during a hill climb event in Hemberg, Switzerland

To prevent the possibility of being painted like an insensitive tool, Coric quickly added that the crash was “scary and serious” and that “it could have ended in a different way and we could have ended up needing a new job.”

It’s weird for somebody like Coric to admit that Rimac actually benefitted from the crash, but the passing of time, coupled with Hammond’s full recovery, did present a moment of reflection that shouldn’t be taken against him. The accident did gain global exposure because of Hammond’s celebrity status, and once people became aware of the Concept One and it’s capabilities — it’s a 1,224-horsepower and 1,180-pound-foot electric monster that can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 220 mph — it immediately became a forbidden fruit that those who could afford it had to have.

As for those who couldn’t get their hands on the Concept One, more promising days are ahead because Rimac is already developing its latest creation, the 1,914-horsepower and 1,686-pound-foot C_Two. Judging by the hype it’s already getting, it’s unlikely that the C-Two will need a high-profile crash to get people to buy it.

References

Read our full review on the 2017 Rimac Concept One.

Read more about the 2018 Rimac Concept Two.

Source: Autocar