Koenigsegg is determined to take the supremacy out of Bugatti’s hands. After being officially unveiled back in 2011, the Agera R is entering the 2013 model year as a more powerful sports car with lots of improvements. Koenigsegg is put in a power improvement of 25 HP that will make the car capable of hitting a top speed of 273 mph. We’ll just have to wait for Koenigsegg to prove it.
The in-house developed 5.0-liter V8 with twin turbos now uses nano-surfaced cylinder sleeves, from ANS, for reduced friction and fuel consumption. As a result, the Agera R will develop a total of 1,140 HP up from 1,115 HP. The Agera R comes also equipped with an unique Triplex suspension and a new, lighter rear exhaust section.
Aside from the bump in performance, the Agera R also comes with the world’s first hollow, one piece, super light carbon fiber wheel, using a proprietary method developed by Koenigsegg named Aircore Technology.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 Koenigsegg Agera R.
The Koenigseeg Agera was officially unveiled in 2010 and now, for the 2013 model year, the Swedish company has already announced a series of eight new updates. The best part is that these changes are not limited to just the exterior of the car. Koenigsegg has managed to obtain an extra 20 HP for the standard Agera and 25 HP for the Agera R.
The exterior changes include the world’s first hollow, one piece, super light carbon fiber wheel, using a proprietary method developed by Koenigsegg named Aircore Technology. This helps in reducing the total weight by 44 lbs. Koenigsegg has also installed new front/side winglets for the Agera R that provide 20kg/44 lbs more downforce at 155 mph, as well as reduced drag.
The car’s engine uses nano-surfaced cylinder sleeves, from ANS, for reduced friction and fuel consumption. Thanks to a new in-house developed engine management system and a rev limiter raised from 7250rpm to 7500rpm, the total output has been increased from 940 to 960 HP for the Agera and from 1,115 to 1,140 HP for the Agera R!
Next to these changes, the company has also installed a unique Triplex suspension - standard on the 2013 Agera R - and a new, lighter rear exhaust section. The KES (Koenigsegg Electronic Stability) is now standard on all Koenigsegg models.
Koenigsegg is still battling the federal regulations that have halted the Agera supercar’s trip over to the US, but if all goes as planned, the company will be sending the first units to our side of the pond in June 2012, with a crisp white Agera R leading the trip. With that project on a bit of a standstill, the company has moved on to announce that they will be unveiling a rendering of their 100th super car at this year’s Geneva Motor Show in March. No details on the new supercar have been provided as of yet, but the thought alone is enough to put Koenigsegg fans in a state of agony until then.
Supercar dreams aside, Koenigsegg also confirmed that they are currently preparing a camless engine inspired by the Formula 1 cars. The company said this is "a radical departure in engine design that will increase fuel economy between 20 and 30 percent by using pneumatic-controlled valves."
The engine is being developed in cooperation with Cargine Engineering and its new "technology provides exacting control of each cylinder and would allow for infinitely variable valve lift and duration, as well as cylinder deactivation. Energy to operate the valves also would be reduced compared to a conventional cammed engine."
More details on the latest Koenigsegg news will surely follow in the next month or two, so stay tuned!
The new Launch Bonus Pack includes a collection of ten cars previously available only to those Forza 4 players who had either pre-ordered from specific retail outlets, or picked up the game during its first run via the "Ship Bonus Car Pack." The new Launch Bonus Pack is available for Xbox Live and can be yours for 560 Microsoft Points.
We’re rounding off our Best of 2011 lists with one that is near and dear to our hearts. This list is all about top speed and top speed only, those who have it and one who hopes to achieve it.
Of course, speed hopes are nothing new. The battle for the fastest car in the world has been ongoing since the sports and super cars first made their appearance and more than likely, it will never end. These past couple years have been a game of one-upmanship between SSC and Bugatti with both succeeding in one way or another. But who tops the list for 2011?
Before getting into that, we think it is important to note that we only incorporated vehicles that were sold in 2011. For example, the Koenigsegg CCX may have a top speed of 240 mph, but that production ended in 2010, which takes the supercar out of the running for this list in particular. Don’t worry, though, Koenigsegg is still well-represented.
Hit the jump to see the top ten list of the fastest cars of 2011.
The Chinese automotive market is growing bigger by the day and automakers everywhere are taking advantage of this growing market by throwing a number of special editions their way. One type of vehicle that is ripping through the streets of China is the super car. Anything from Ferrari to Pagani to Lamborghini is making its way over to the land of Dragons and Emperors, and this video was created to show off a number of these vehicles.
Watching this video may incite some ever growing jealousy for the people lucky enough to get behind the wheel of these bad boys. The supercars are all part of the Chinese Sportscar Club (SCC), which got together on an airstrip to show off their rides. The list of the supercars is intense, including a Ferrari Enzo, a Pagani Zonda F/R and Cinque, a Mercedes SLR, a Mercedes SLS, a Ferrari F430, a Ferrari 458 Italia, tons of Lamborghini models, an Aston Martin, and our favorite, the Koenigsegg Agera.
The sheer monetary value of the collected supercars is enough to induce drool.
By - almost - all accounts, a Ferrari 458 Italia is the kind of supercar you don’t want to have a drag race against. That is unless you have a Koenigsegg Agera R at your disposal.
At that point, the proverbial shoe is definitely on the other foot.
In this video, the Italian supercar is seen trying to take on the Swedish powerhouse in a clean, drag strip race. For awhile, the 458 Italia managed to hold its ground against the more powerful Agera R, but as soon as you might believe that the former had the legs to keep up with the latter, the Agera R began stretching and just blasted away from the 458 Italia, leaving the Prancing Horse eating its proverbial dust.
Knowing those two cars, it wasn’t really all that competitive considering that the Agera R belongs in a stratosphere that the 458 Italia can only dream about sniffing. But it’s still a fun watch, given the circumstances. It’s not often that a 458 Italia can be abused so effortlessly, but that’s why the Koenigsegg Agera R is considered one of the fastest cars in the world.
Back in September, the Koenigsegg Agera Rset six new world records as proof of what an amazing car it really is. Now, the supercar has received an official Guinness approval for its 0-300-0 km/h record time of 21.19 seconds established at Koenigsegg’s proving ground in Ängelholm, Sweden on September 2, 2011.
"We had high hopes when we set out to do this record. But the end result was truly astonishing. This is Koenigsegg’s 4th Guinness World Record since 2003 and it shows our continued commitment to build Hypercars that deliver beyond expectations," said Christian von Koenigsegg in the official press release.
The Koenigsegg Agera R is powered by a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8 engine that delivers a total of 1,115hp at 6,900 rpm and scream all the way up to 7,250 rpm. Top speed has been announced at 261mph.
When Koenigsegg revealed the Agera R earlier this month they announced it will be a world breaker. And this week-end the car has set six new world records as a proof at that statements.
The Agera R has shown phenomenal stability, acceleration and braking performance – and that presently its performance is in a league of its own. All results will be submitted to the Guinness Book of Records.
The numbers are as follows: 0-300 km/h (0-186 mph) = 14.53 sec,
0-200 mph (0-124 mph) = 17.68 sec, 300-0 km/h (186 mph-0)= 6.66 sec,
200-0 mph (124 mph - 0) = 7.28 sec, 0-300-0 km/h (0-186mph-0) = 21.19 sec, 0-200-0 mph (0-124mph-0) = 24.96 sec.
The Koenigsegg Agera R is powered by a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8 engine that delivers a total of 1,115hp at 6,900 rpm and scream all the way up to 7,250 rpm. Top speed has been announced at 261mph.
We’ve learned a few things about Bugatti CEO, Wolfgang Durheimer, in the past few weeks, one of which is his increasingly apparent obsession with the world’s top speed record.
After telling CAR Magazine the importance of Bugatti maintaining the top speed record by saying that it’s "a cornerstone of the modern Bugatti philosophy", Durheimer laid notice to everyone that if anybody wanted to try breaking the Veyron’s record, then they’re going to get a pretty serious fight from Bugatti.
In an interview with Motor Trend, Durheimer had this to say: “You know we have the speed record with Bugatti and there are always rumors around that someone, maybe Koeniggsegg could come, and do another record. No matter where the Veyron project is if someone comes… we would strike back."
Fighting words, indeed.
For now, the Veyron is nearing its run and other automakers, particularly Koenigsegg and SSC, have released their new supercars - the Agera R and the Tuatara - with the intention of toppling the Veyron Super Sport’s 267.85 mph record. But if you heard Durheimer’s words, then all these other brands best be warned. Bugatti’s not conceding the world’s top speed record to anybody without a serious fight.
Snow balls in hell be damned; we’ve got a fight on our hands!