Driving the WILD Praga Bohema and its Aero Ancestor | Henry Catchpole - The Driver’s Seat
From the opening moments, the Bohema sets itself apart. Weighing just 982kg but producing a staggering 900kg of downforce, this car isn’t just about numbers—though on paper it’s incredible. The driving position alone is dramatically different from most supercars, leaning the driver right back and delivering a race-car ambience usually reserved for track weapons like the Aston Martin Valkyrie or top-tier prototypes.
Powering the Bohema is a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6, a version of the Nissan GT-R’s VR38DETT—the first time Nissan has allowed another brand to use this engine. Tuned by UK specialist Ian Litchfield to 700bhp and 553lb ft, it’s not as exotic as a V10 or V12, but it suits the Bohema’s focused character. There’s a deeply mechanical feeling to the car’s behaviour; the sound inside is businesslike, with a purposeful chatter and growl that feels pure race car rather than refined cruiser.
Praga’s credentials aren’t just born from this latest hypercar. The film takes us back nearly a century, as Catchpole gets hands-on with the extraordinary Praga Super Piccolo. Only one of these stunning 1934 racers survives today, painstakingly recreated with period-correct techniques, magnesium engine components, and lightweight aluminium bodywork. The Super Piccolo was a pioneer in aerodynamics and innovation, built for a demanding 1000-mile race over some daunting pre-war roads.
Driving both, Catchpole highlights their surprising similarities despite the decades between them: low weight, clever aerodynamics, and a dedication to innovation run in the family. Even the driving positions share a kind of cockpit intimacy and a sense of connection to every mechanical part. With the Super Piccolo’s perspex roof, magnesium gearbox, and featherweight body, and the Bohema’s carbon tub and track-focused design, there’s a sense of Praga DNA that has survived communist-era factory takeovers and decades in the shadows.
Today, Praga is best known for competition karts and ultralight sports cars, but the Bohema and the Super Piccolo show what could have been if the Czech marque’s automotive ambitions hadn’t been derailed by history. Both cars, in their own ways, feel ahead of their time—each a rolling statement of Czech innovation, engineering, and the magic that happens when performance, design, and national spirit collide.