[8] The company's primary objective was to build the world's first electric sports car,[8] starting, as Rimac put it, "with a blank sheet of paper".

[10] When Mate Rimac's 1984 BMW 3 series blew its internal combustion engine while participating in a race, the opportunity was taken to convert it into an electric car.

The car, now called the "Green Monster", set five Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)-sanctioned acceleration records in April 2011.

The Concept One was introduced at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, and afterwards shown at the 2012 Paris Concours d'Elegance, where it received a positive response by the general public and potential customers.

[19] Rimac participated at the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a 1,100 kW (1,500 PS; 1,500 hp) highly customised version called the E-Runner Concept_One.

[22] On 10 June 2017, journalist and television presenter Richard Hammond crashed one of the eight produced Concept One vehicles during filming for Series 2 of The Grand Tour.

Hammond was on his last run up a timed hill climb course during the Bergrennen Hemberg event, when, just after crossing the finish line, the car ran off the road.

[33] In 2017, Rimac Automobili established official dealerships with PACE Germany, Manhattan Motorcars and Al Marooni Group for the regions of Europe, North America and the Middle East.

The company Applus+ IDIADA built this vehicle based on the Rimac Concept One, however, the battery size was reduced in order to save weight (38 kWh).

[35] Dan Prosser, in a 2016 review for the magazine EVO, praised the vehicle's performance, styling, and torque vectoring system, but criticized its small cabin size and the brake pedal feel, giving it 3½ out of 5 stars.

A leader in battery and electric-motor technology, its Concept One hypercar impressively showcases the fruits of its labours, with a huge amount of the car done in-house.

"[37] In 2017, Road & Track tested the car on city streets and described it as an "electric techno extravaganza" and claimed that "the carbon tub you sit in is rigid as a nuclear bunker".

It described the feeling of taking off in traffic as "utterly impressive" and noticed its quietness by stating that "Rimac's hypercar only makes a sound when its inverters kick in, as a gentle reminder that you're sitting in the automotive equivalent of a small power station.

"[39][40] Richard Hammond, when asked for his take on the car during an interview session for DriveTribe, said he "loved it; it was astonishing", maintaining it had "proper ambition in terms of range" and describing its all-wheel torque vectoring system as "breathtaking".