It is not every day that one can see a primeur bearing the medieval coat of arms of Koenigsegg. And yet, the Geneva Motor Show, which opens next week, will receive three new releases from this Swedish superlative car specialist.
It is first of all the first two series of the Regera, a racing car powered by a hybrid engine without a gearbox.
Its powertrain consists of three electric motors and a 5.0-liter, home-built, 5.0-liter V8 in a rear center position. The net power of 1,500 hp they generate allows this car, which weighs just over 1,600 kg, to accelerate from 0 to 300 km / h in just 10 seconds. Keep the accelerator on the floor 10 s longer and you are at 400 km / h!
One of the two Regera models presented in Geneva will have a British Racing Green with brown leather interior, a classic British suit. The other will appear more eccentric with its body of a screaming red ("Candy Apple Red") cut in the center by a very wide band of bare carbon fiber. For this one, the buyer preferred a red and black leather interior coordinated to the bodywork.
These two Regera will have Tresex wheels manufactured by Koenigsegg in carbon fiber. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires are 40% lighter than aluminum alloy wheels of the same dimensions.
Shown for the first time at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Regera's total production will be limited to 80 units. However, in spite of a price exceeding US $ 1.5 million, half of the production had already found buyers in March 2016.
The most impressive Koenigsegg of the Geneva trio will be the unique version of the Agera RS that the manufacturer has dubbed Gryphon.
Built according to the tastes of a buyer whose name is kept secret, this car is distinguished by its body of natural-colored carbon fiber enhanced with trim and golden badges made with 24-carat gold leaf! A treatment applied also to the passenger compartment, but also to the patches of the engine and even to the supports of the bonnet.
Inside, the seats are trimmed with black Alcantara, while polished carbon fiber and anodized black aluminum enhance the appearance of the dashboard and center console.
Since this Agera RS was ordered with the optional "1MW" engine, its 5.0L twin-turbo V8 develops 1,360 hp rather than the 1,160 hp of the standard version. With a mass of only 1,395 kg, an ideal power-to-weight ratio of 1: 1 is thus achieved.
Agera RS also has a price around US $ 1.5M, but the supplement that the golden leaves used to decorate the Gryphon are unknown.
Koenigsegg Automotive AB is specialized in the manufacture of very high performance cars produced by dropper. This company was founded in 1994 by Christian von Koenigsegg, who was then only 22 years old.