We have yet to hear about a hypercar example being made as an homage to a deceased celebrity - at least not in recent memory. Koenigsegg, of them all, may be the first with this purple Regera.
It’s a tribute to the late Prince, who passed away in April 2016, with the Swedish hypercar’s paint job meant to be in reference to the song ‘Purple Rain’. It’s colour actually covers up the exposed carbon fibre shell of the car to some extend, though the underlying weave is still quite obvious.
All Koenigseggs are, to some extent, customised by their would-be owners. This one, though, was configured by one of their own employees. A Steven Wade the Swedish outfit’s communications department.
The one seen here still has some bits and pieces with the original exposed carbon fibre, including the wheels. There are also white lines running along the car’s body. The theme continues inside where the while upholstery is accented by purple stitching.
That all said, this particular Regera, with the Prince-friendly purple accents, might not even come to be as nobody has actually put money down to own it.
The Regera is Koenigseggs most technologically advanced car to date. It’s still a mid-engine beast powered primarily by an internal combustion engine - a 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 in this case. However, it’s augmented by 3 electric motor and is actually classified as a plug-in hybrid.
It’s driveline and transmission is also unique. It technically doesn’t have a transmission in the usual sense, instead uses a hydraulic coupling that varies the amount of engagement of a final drive ratio. Called Koenigsegg Direct Drive, the system also uses the torque fill provided by the electric motors during lower speed driving while needing little aid from the V8.
Working together, the Regera is said to develop as much as 1,100kW and 2,000Nm of torque. The Regera, unlike the Agera and One:1, is the softer, more road-friendly alternative, with a more well appointed interior and even Apple CarPlay support built into its infotainment system. But it still manages to hit 100km/h from rest in 2.7 seconds and a top speed in excess of 400km/h.
