Praga Bohema

Has Czech marque Praga produced an Aston Valkyrie rival? Here's where we find out

- by JAMES TAYLOR

YOU JOIN ME IN THE PRAGA BOHEMA'S SLIMLINE COCKPIT, Goodwood Motor Circuit unfolding ahead through the visor-like windscreen. I'm on my second lap, building pace and tyre temperature gently, acclimatising to this extreme-looking creation. But something is troubling me...

You may recall Jethro Bovingdon drove the prototype Bohema on an airfield test track in evo issue 305 during the latter stages of the car's development. Two and a half years on, production is underway and customer car deliveries likewise. Praga's brought two Bohemas along to evo's first Goodwood trackday of the year, so we can sample this high-downforce, low-volume hypercar in its finalised form. One is a customer car ready for handover, on static display to show off fit, finish and quality; the other is a hard-worked development car with more than 34,000 miles under its wheels but entirely representative of customer cars in technical spec and driving dynamics. And it's in the latter Bohema that you join me.

Now, every kind of car is welcome at evo's trackdays: old/new; fast/slow; exotic/everyday. It just so happens that in this particular session there are some quick cars circulating: 911 GT3s, Corvette C8s, a Ferrari, a McLaren. There's never pressure to lap quickly at an evo day: so long as you're making progress safely and giving each other space, it's all about enjoying yourself at a pace that's comfortable. But right now, everyone seems to be driving particularly slowly.

For a moment, I'm concerned I've missed a red flag and back off. Then it dawns on me. It's not that the other cars are driving slowly. It's just that the Praga is really bloody quick. This is not a car in the regular supercar realm; it's from another place.