The Geneva Motor Show is in full swing and all sorts of new vehicles and concepts are appearing, almost faster than the press can keep up with, but one car has been the focal point for everybody so far: The Koenigsegg Regera. Koenigsegg, for those who are unfamiliar with them, is a Swedish manufacturer of the kinds of super cars that scare race car drivers, journalists, and the gentle townsfolk. They are record holders, speed demons, and have a “widow maker” reputation that is well deserved. The original CCX was the first car that Top Gear’s “The Stig” ever wrecked while testing, stuffing the tail-happy beast through a tire wall at a good speed before proceeding to mow half of Dunsfold Aerodrome with the front air dam. Koenigsegg’s current main model, the Agera, is a jaw-dropper. The base model comes with 927hp, and in Agera One:1 mode, it’s well over 1,300hp.
How in the hell do you possibly top that?!
In the Regera’s case, it takes a page from the LaFerrari, Porsche 918 and McLaren P1 and uses a hybrid powertrain for evil instead of good. According to the company, the Regera is packing 1,500 horsepower: 1,100 from the twin-turbo 5.0L V8 lifted from the Agera, and three electric motors made by Rimac, the same company that built the electric BMW E30 we featured a couple of days ago. One of the e-motors is at the crank with 221 ft/lb of torque, and one at each drive axle for an additional 192 ft/lb each. And those two axle motors can be used to torque vector, too. There’s no transmission in the car, the Regera is a direct-drive. And yes, it’s a stunner to look at too.
Now, with 1,500 horsepower, a claimed 0-249 MPH time under 20 seconds, and only 80 Regeras being made, here’s where we have to take a pause: at which point does the top-speed, top-horsepower game quit being about technological advancements and the achievement of the automobile and instead turns into a sausage competition for the obscenely wealthy? Why in the world would you pay $1.9 million dollars for a car of any type when you could build a Top Fuel or Pro Stock car and experience that rush over and over for a portion of that cost? To be fair, if what you want to feel is the actual acceleration, you won’t do better than a professional drag car: what else goes from 0-300+ MPH in less than five seconds? Nothing that doesn’t fly. I’d rather spend half the cost and go racing for a few years. How about you?
yeh, I hear ya. I just finished having a rant about the maybach being too much of a, as you say, sausage competition and it saddens me to see it happen on a nice looking sporty car like this. I wish they’d sell them as a basic rolling unit you could stuff your favourite V8 into…Imagine this thing, light as practicable and with basic features, with 5 – 6 0r 700 hp domestic V8 in it… more fun than you could shake a stick at…. Even with 400 horsies this’d be a great laugh….instead its gunna be a 1500 hp dick substitute that’ll probably see like 30 mph on Rodeo drive….
will I ever own one? no. Do I get it? Yes. The “I have one and you don’t” crowd. Am I jealous? Maybe a little. I don’t get real rattled about cars you can’t carry a keg of beer home in though.
Remember the RoadKill where the shitbox rat rod got all the girls attention and the gazillion dollar sports car got all the 12 year old boys attention… if you’re buying this for attention, you might be using the wrong bait.