Winterized takes on a new meaning
Cars for the winter: The tuning scene knows them well, the shiny, pimped and pepped up machines. But in general they are the very opposite of the autos meant to be driven in summer – and often only in the finest of weather: They are always cheap, unloved and underpowered. But what Koenigsegg has brought to the Geneva Motor Show is probably the most exclusive winter car ever to meet the snow: The Agera R is a massively powered super sports car just waiting for the next skiing holiday.
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- The Agera R is in terms of CO2 emissions (310 grams) and fuel consumption (14.7) the most efficient car in its elite class.
300 kilometres an hour with skis
With the Koenigsegg Agera R the ultimate gimmick is the roof concept. This has been developed by the sports car maker in collaboration with their compatriots at , specialists for roof-rack technology. And so when it comes time to drive off for that ski vacation off comes the hard-top of the Agera which can be stored in the boot. And then on top of the car goes the ‘Lighting Roof Box’. This is made completely of carbon composite material and can carry two pairs of skis which come as part of the standard equipment. The roof-top box can withstand speeds of up to 300 kilometres an hour and its installation takes no more than ten minutes. The ‘Lightning Roof Box’ comes as part of the winterization package as are special Michelin snow tyres and to top it all of, there is luxury accommodation for the skiing holiday in the Swedish resort Åre thrown in.
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- The five-litre bi-turbo V8 weighs only 197 kilos but puts out more than 900 horsepower when fuelled with normal 95 octane petrol.
Performance in spades
Anyone who has driven a lot in northern latitudes will have learned that too much power can be counter-productive on snow-covered trails. This leads one to imagine that in the Koenigsegg Agera R the drive through a winter wonderland can be quite thrilling. For if any auto can claim to have too much power it is this one. The five-litre bi-turbo V8 weighs only 197 kilos but puts out more than 900 horsepower when fuelled with normal 95 octane petrol. However if the dry-sump lubricated motor is given E85 bio-ethanol the horsepower zooms to an incredible 1,115. This makes the Koenigsegg Agera R the unmatched horsepower heavyweight of the show. And not to be slighted is the available torque of 1,200 Newton metres.
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- The Koenigsegg Agera R is a stretch in all imaginable directions. They call it a Hypercar and at a cost of 1.2 million Euros hype seems the right word. But that does buy you very interesting doors.
Theory and practice
The Agera R is in terms of CO2 emissions (310 grams) and fuel consumption (14.7) the most efficient car in its elite class, but this is probably of only secondary interest. More important: In theory the auto is able to reach a speed of 440 kilometres an hour although when it leaves the factory the limiter is set to throttle back at 375. But in favourable conditions the Agera R can for short bursts move faster. And, speaking of ‘faster’, the speedy Swede hit a hundred in an almost unequalled 2.9 seconds. To achieve such performance there is as well as traction control and newly developed seven-speed double-clutching transmission which not only facilitates very fast but also very smooth shifting´. The transmission, which also has an automatic mode, sends the power to the rear axle for distribution to the wheels by means of an electronically controlled variable differential.
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- Under the bonnet of the Koenigsegg Agera R there is room for 120 litres of cargo, and for the hard-top roof when the ski holiday beckons.
High tech across the board
Light weight construction plays an important role in the Koenigsegg concept. The obvious choice is clearly a carbon composite monocoque which weighs only 70 kilos inclusive of the fuel tanks. In all the Agera R weighs empty just 1,418 kilos which translates in to an almost Formula One weight-per-horsepower ratio of 1.27 kilos. This favours the driving dynamics as do the notably long wishbone arms. Another noteworthy characteristic is the very broad track width of the front axle compared with that of the rear wheels. For the Agera R the tyre maker Michelin has mounted rubber which is supposed to be good for speeds up to 400 kilometres an hour, worldwide the only tyres in this class. So that the car stays on course at such speeds Koenigsegg have given it not only a massive diffuser but a variable rear wing which responds only to the slipstream.
By the way: Any driver wanting to transform his Agera R for winter sport must reckon with an investment of 20 thousand Euros. He will then be the owner of the world’s most expensive ski box which is somehow fitting for an automobile which, at 1.2 million Euros, is anything but a bargain.
