One of the contenders for the world's fastest car is the Koenigsegg Agera R which has been reworked for the 2013 model year, raising peak horsepower from 1115 to 1140hp on E85, giving it a top speed claimed to be in the vicinity of 440 km/h (273 mph) which Koenigsegg intends to prove sometime soon.
If the Agera R can achieve that speed, it will become the world's fastest production car, as the record is currently held by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport at 431 km/h (268 mph).
Koenigsegg has previously held the fastest car record so it has the cred and all the tools ... watch this space.
Regardless of whether it gets the record or not, the Agera R is unquestionably in the upper echelons of hypercar territory and the figures for speeds below 273 mph are also impressive - 0-300 km/h (186 mph) in 14.53 sec and 0-322 km/h (200 mph) in 17.68 seconds - The new model Agera and Agera R show a remarkable number of major improvements over previous Ageras.
The one that's had most attention is the wheels. We're in contact with Koenigsegg about the wheels at the moment and this article will be updated on this particular subject when Koenigsegg responds.
The new Agera R has what Koenigsegg claims is the world's first hollow, one piece, carbon fiber wheel, and it is built using a proprietary method developed and trademarked by Koenigsegg as Aircore Technology.
Koenigsegg claims the Aircore wheels save close to 20 kg (44 lb) in unsprung mass, but no weight has been stated for the wheels, nor has the reference point by comparison with which it saves 5 kg (11 lb) per wheel.
Back in 2007, Koenigsegg offered the "industry's first carbon fiber wheels" as an option for the CCX and CCR models available then, and also claimed that when combined with carbon-ceramic brakes (using eight- and six-piston calipers front and rear, respectively) they allow the CCX to boast the lowest unsprung weight of any supercar built today."
We're currently clarifying what weighs what to back up the company's statements of saving "close to 20kg in unsprung mass" and "the lowest unsprung weight of any supercar."
Getting past how much they weigh, they're obviously very light, as the only metal part in the new Aircore wheel is the tire valve - the rest is all once piece hollow carbon.
Other major changes
There are numerous evolutions within the Agera and Agera R, and several new technologies applied to automotive use for the first time. One is nano-surfaced cylinder sleeves from Swedish Nanotech company ANS (Applied Nano Surfaces).
The Agera and the Agera R hence have the first production engines in the world to use nano-surfaced cylinder sleeves, which have the benefits of reduced friction and hence less fuel consumption or more power.
Applied Nano Surfaces was founded in 2006 to commercialize IP developed at Uppsala University. Applied Nano Surfaces was set up to create practical industrial applications based on nano-composite technology, but the sales target from the start was any manufacturer of internal combustion engines
According to ANS, approximately 6-9 percent of the energy supplied to an internal combustion engine is lost due to friction from the piston ring and cylinder lining contact.ANS has demonstrated that the friction losses between the piston ring and the cylinder lining can be decreased by between 30 - 50 percent if a low friction nano-composite is applied, compared to today's cylinder preparation practice.ANS hence claims that the use of its low friction nano-composite cylinder coating will improve engine performance by 1.8 - 4.5 percent.
Obviously the Agera R is looking for benefits in horsepower by applying the technology, but for more mundane users of internal combustion engines, it still looks viable. ANS claims that over the lifetime of an average heavy-duty truck the use of its nano-composite cylinder coating would offer fuel savings of more than EUR 15,000 (approx. US$19,685).
Major new features for the Agera and Agera R
A new engine management system with additional functionalitythe engine's rev limit has been raised from 7250 rpm to 7500 rpm, raising power from 940 to 960 hp on 98 Ron (93 din) fuel for the Agera and from 1115 to 1140hp for the Agera R on E85.
Koenigsegg and Swedish shock manufacturer Öhlins have renewed ties to develop the new Triplex suspension, that will be standard on the 2013 Agera R.
KES (Koenigsegg Electronic Stability) is now standard on all Koenigsegg models.
A new, lighter rear exhaust section has been developed for the Agera R, which also improves the performance of the rear diffuser.
The luggage rack
Koenigsegg innovates every aspect of the Agera R, and that was never more evident than it's exceedingly clever Thule Roof Box which ensures you can take all your gear as well as having a show car with the standard roof when you get there.
Online Car Configurator
Another new feature of the Koenigsegg customer service offering was announced at Geneva - it's an on-line configurator that lets you choose any shade or color combination for the interior and exterior, then gives you a PDF brochure of the car you have configured.
