Koenigsegg->ke43 is developing a tweaked version of the Agera R in preparation for a record run at the Nurburgring.->ke999 That and a host of other topics were discussed when French auto site L’Automobile Sportive spent a day with founder Christian von Koenigsegg and regional director and head of sales Jens Sverdrup at the Koenigsegg headquarters in Ängelholm, Sweden.

Koenigsegg’s statement immediately set off the alarm in our heads. Could it be aiming to unseat Radical,->ke3734 specifically the SR8LM and its record lap time of 6:48 around the Green Hell? Is this “tweaked” Agera R an actual production model that Koenigsegg plans to sell in the future? Unfortunately, von Koenigsegg didn’t disclose specific details of its planned run at the Nubrugring record, although he did add that once the Agera R accomplishes what it sets out to do, the company is turning its attention to its one-megawatt hypercar, the One:1, and giving it a list of records to chase after.

Speaking of the One:1, the conversation with L’Automobile Sportive also unearthed some details of Koenigsegg’s business methods not a lot of people are aware of. The company’s disposition to develop car components in-house was was a nice talking point because doing so allows Koenigsegg to fit the technology->ke1701 it creates specifically for their cars.

Sverdup points to Koenigsegg’s double-clutch gearbox as proof. The gearbox is the only one of its kind that has “one single shaft," and at just 81 kg (178.6 pounds), it’s also the lightest gearbox used in supercars->ke177 today and is the same one used for all of the brand’s Agera models.

This gearbox is a testament to the success Koenigsegg has had in developing its own technology. This aggressive approach allows the company to trademark its inventions and sell them to other manufacturers, something Christian von Koenigsegg admitted was a part of its “financial resources”.

But not all components are built in-house. Some, like the V-8 engines, have to be built somewhere else because Koenigsegg doesn’t have the resources to do it on its own. In the case of the engine, the company told L’Automobile Sportive that it doesn’t have a foundry that produces metal castings so that part of the engine build is sent to a company in the UK where the block is casted to Koenigsegg’s specifications.

The turbochargers are another out-sourced technology, which von Koenigsegg said are built by Indiana-based aftermarket company Precision Turbo & Engine.

Finally, von Koenigsegg admitted that the company has had internal discussions on the possibility of building lower-priced cars. No significant progress has been made from these talks, but the door is open, even if it’s just slightly ajar.

In this instance, it’s probably best that we keep our fingers crossed and hope that door flies open soon and we see “more affordable” Koenigsegg supercars in dealerships.

L’Automobile Sportive0}

It's not often that a brand like Koenigsegg would open up about its business and trade secrets like it did with L’Automobile Sportive. But it did this time, and we learned a lot of things about the Swedish automaker that we didn't know before.

The technical discussion was particularly intriguing since Koenigsegg isn't a mainstream manufacturer. Its technology is highly specialized and the methods it uses, whether it's in-house or outsourced, reflects why the company is a premium brand with a premium clientele.

Why It Matters

A lot of things have been said about the Koenigsegg One:1 and yet, no matter how many superlatives are thrown its way, none of them can still capture the phenomenon that is the One:1.

One of the biggest takeaways of the One:1 is Koenigsegg’s use of “pre-preg” carbon fiber and M55J high-modulus fibers throughout the megacar to decrease the weight by 20 percent compared to the chassis of the standard Agera R. With these materials, the One:1 tips the scales at only 2,954 pounds.

At the heart of the One:1 is a 5.0-liter, V-8, twin-turbocharged engine that can run on biofuel, race fuel or standard gasoline and still produce an incredible 1 megawatt of power. In case you’re wondering, that’s 1,340 horsepower and 1,011 pound-feet of torque of pure madness.

Koenigsegg has yet to announce the One:1’s official top speed, but the number being thrown out the most is 273 mph, the speed rating of the custom Michelin Cup Tires the megacar is using.