Koenigsegg takes aim at Tesla in speed stakes – report

Koenigsegg takes aim at Tesla in speed stakes – report

Founder of Swedish supercar company Christian von Koenigsegg was taken aback by the latest Tesla Roadster‘s accelerative capabilities, according to Top Gear. The American firm’s second-generation electric sports car has been claimed by the company to be capable of the 0-96 km/h run in just 1.9 seconds, a feat that has sort of sent Koenigsegg and his team of engineer back to their workspaces.

“We kind of had our future mapped out, and then we heard about the new Tesla Roadster and its insane acceleration numbers, and we thought ‘damn that’s put the gauntlet down’. Sure, it must be very heavy, but that kind of acceleration? That’s frustrating,” Koenigsegg said.

Koenigsegg and his team of engineers came up with some ideas in the couple of days following following the bombastic stats that came with the Tesla Roadster’s unveiling, with a new take on the collection of technologies the Swedish supercar company currently employs.

Koenigsegg takes aim at Tesla in speed stakes – report

The Regera uses a direct drive transmission in place of a conventional gearbox.

“The simplest way of putting it is like this: it’s combining direct drive, with the hybridisation we have in a different format with freevalve engine technology, in a peculiar layout,” the supercar maker’s founder said. They’ve found a ‘wild’ solution for further improving acceleration, he says, though without describing it entirely.

“For example, if we ignore fuel consumption for a moment, we have a fairly high compression ratio for our turbo V8 – 9.5:1 with 1.6 bar of boost. If we drop that compression ratio to 8.8:1, we could boost to 2.2 bar, which is another 600 bhp just like that, without putting more stress on your engine because your peak pressure doesn’t go up. And, it would only consume about 5% more fuel,” Koenigsegg said.

This should translate into a 0-400 km/h acceleration time of 14 seconds, he noted, leaving ‘black marks all the way (to 400 km/h)’. The Koenigsegg Regera with direct drive transmission does 400 km/h in under 20 seconds, and while the Bugatti Chiron does 420 km/h, the prospect of a Koenigsegg spinning its wheels all the way to 400 km/h makes the French hypercar sound tame, doesn’t it?

GALLERY: Koenigsegg Regera

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Mick Chan

Open roads and closed circuits hold great allure for Mick Chan. Driving heaven to him is exercising a playful chassis on twisty paths; prizes ergonomics and involvement over gadgetry. Spent three years at a motoring newspaper and short stint with a magazine prior to joining this website.

 

Comments

  • Afeeq on Sep 05, 2018 at 2:18 pm

    Error in article: There are 2 ‘followings’ in paragraph 3.

    Also, aren’t Koenigsegg cars called hypercars?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • applegreen on Sep 05, 2018 at 2:37 pm

    Inb4 Msia speed limit 110kmh.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • sampan 250kmph on Sep 05, 2018 at 2:49 pm

    Leaving black marks all the to 400kmph!
    Which tire company has the toughest durable rubber tires that can last?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
    • johnissohai on Sep 05, 2018 at 4:18 pm

      Viking PT5

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
    • yeast lump on Sep 05, 2018 at 4:35 pm

      Beware of tyre overheating and explosions

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • 4G63T DSM on Sep 05, 2018 at 6:58 pm

      Nothing lasts long at 400kmh.

      No matter though, it won’t beat the Tesla in 0-60 spinning wheels like that.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • stastasta on Sep 06, 2018 at 3:43 pm

      boasting about spinning tyres is just idiotic. thats hints about their lack of traction management compared to other rwd competitors such as ferrari.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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