Automotive

Your move, Bugatti: Agera RS shatters Chiron's 0-400-0 km/h record

Your move, Bugatti: Agera RS shatters Chiron's 0-400-0 km/h record
The Agera RS set a new 0-400-0 km/h record
The Agera RS set a new 0-400-0 km/h record 
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The car used for the record attempt will be delivered to a customer in the USA
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The car used for the record attempt will be delivered to a customer in the USA 
The record was set in Denmark
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The record was set in Denmark 
Koenigsegg unloads the Agera RS at the airfield in Denmark
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Koenigsegg unloads the Agera RS at the airfield in Denmark 
Driver Niklas Lilja prepares himself to set the record
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Driver Niklas Lilja prepares himself to set the record 
Hands up if you're faster than a Bugatti Chiron
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Hands up if you're faster than a Bugatti Chiron
The Agera RS set a new 0-400-0 km/h record
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The Agera RS set a new 0-400-0 km/h record 
The Koenigsegg team gets ready to set a new record
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The Koenigsegg team gets ready to set a new record 
The Agera RS needed less than 2.5 km to break the record
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The Agera RS needed less than 2.5 km to break the record 
The Agera RS was wheelspinning through the first three gearchanges
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The Agera RS was wheelspinning through the first three gearchanges 
The airfield used for the record attempt is also a solar plant
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The airfield used for the record attempt is also a solar plant 
Niklas Lilja checks out the telemetry after a run in the Agera
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Niklas Lilja checks out the telemetry after a run in the Agera 
View gallery - 11 images

Just weeks after Bugatti set a new 0-400-0 km/h world record in the Chiron, Koenigsegg has smashed it with the Agera RS. The plucky (or mad) Swedes shaved almost five seconds from the record, and did it without the considerable might of the VW Group for backing.

Even though the record attempt was conducted on a slippery Danish airfield, paved in WW2-era concrete and covered in awkward expansion joints, the Agera RS was comfortably faster than the Chiron. Where the Bugatti needed a leisurely 42 seconds to accelerate from 0-400 km/h (249 mph) and screech to a halt, the Swedish supercar took just 37.28 seconds.

Just 26.88 seconds of that record was taken accelerating to 400 km/h, in which time the car covered 1,958 m (6,424 ft). The RS was at standstill 9.56 seconds after hitting that mark, having covered a further 483 m (1,585 ft).

Koenigsegg Agera RS 0-400-0

The car used for the test is a 1,360-hp (1,014-kW) model destined for a customer in the US. The test was initially meant to be conducted in Germany, but poor weather put an end to those plans, forcing a rapid reschedule. The new venue, which also happens to be the biggest solar farm in Scandinavia, was confirmed just 12 hours before Koenigsegg left the factory.

Driver Niklas Lilja gradually built up to the record over the course of the day. He was busy behind the wheel, making constant corrections to the wheel and fighting wheel spin on the first three gear changes. Just imagine how much faster it would've been on smooth, grippy tarmac.

Your move, Bugatti.

Source: Koenigsegg

View gallery - 11 images
7 comments
7 comments
Simon Gibson
26.88s + 9.56s = 36.44s leaving 0.84s of the 37.28s enjoying the view.
Bob
So someone in the U.S. is getting a severely abused used car. Running a new engine and brakes that hard can't be good. Hopefully, they knocked off a few hundred grand for wear and tear.
David F
400 - 0 kph in 9.56 seconds is an average deceleration of 1.1 g. Any idea what the peak value is?
Daishi
@Bob On one hand the customer is getting a car that's already been driven but on the other they get the literal world record holding car. It probably increases rather than reduces the value of the car since these are essentially purchased as trophies anyway.
Bob
Daishi, I was being sarcastic. Pushing a brand new machine to the limits is not a good thing and I doubt that record will last for long. It may well be broken before the customer even receives the car. No bragging rights there. There is no shortage of engines that produce even more horsepower and a few design changes could easily set another new temporary record.
KaiserPingo
Well done. Dont judges a car like this, as you would judge a crappy Ford peoplecontainer !
Grunchy
What's wrong with my Ford peoplecontainer?! I think it's just fine, thanks.