Finally, the Swedes have done it.
Critically-acclaimed Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg has finally clinched the title of the worlds’ fastest car after years of being denied the opportunity to do so due to a lack of a suitable venue to hold a certifiable run. Over the weekend, a Koenigsegg Agera RS was driven by Niklas Lilja on a public highway outside of Las Vegas, where the car managed to complete its top-speed runs in less time than they thought it would.
The Las Vegas-Pahrump highway in Nevada was closed for a full two-days for Koenigsegg to do its thing, as top-speed certification requires a drive in two directions to record an average top-speed. This is done so that the recorded top-speed will account for things like wind speed, elevation changes, and differences in surface. In the video below, you’ll see that the Agera managed to go past 457km/h on one run, but the return trip had the car driving slightly slower (no mention of why), hence the 447km/h final tally.
18km of closed motorway was used for the Agera RS’ record-breaking run, with Nevada Highway Patrol actually closing the motorway off to the public for a full two-days. However, the Agera performed so well so quickly that they were able to reopen it ahead of schedule, as it had managed to hit the 447km/h average on day 1 of testing.
If you watch the video, you’ll notice that the Agera RS didn’t sound like it was going full-pelt from the get-go. The engine was only really wrung out after the 300km/h mark, with the twin-turbo 5.0-litre V8 then managing to pull 0.4G despite the already-high revs at the time, a testament to the immense grunt that 1029kW will give you.
The Bugatti Chiron isn’t expected to do its top-speed run until sometime next year (and is presently limited to just 420km/h due to its tyres), while the Hennessey Venom F5 has been making pretty bold claims of cracking 483km/h. The Koenigsegg Agera RS may not hold on to its title for very long, but it’s a title well worth having.
Congratulations, Koenigsegg.
Stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
