Breakin’ Records

Written by Nicolas Bates

Before the Bugatti Veyron blew us away with its massive 12-cylinder engine and 253 mile per hour Guinness speed record, another car held that record—a smaller, more agile car. The Swedish-born Koenigsegg CCR pushed the boundaries of a V8 and was rewarded with a Guinness record of 241 miles per hour before anyone had even heard of the Veyron. Next, came its older brother, the Koenigsegg Agera: a sleeker and even more agile twin-turbo V8. And now, Koenigsegg releases what is to be known as the Agera R, with even more power and carbon fiber than the Agera and CCR.

Overall, the Agera R keeps the majority of its looks from the previous generation of Ageras. It is still extremely reminiscent of the Pagani Zonda, with its stub-nose front end and long, wide rear. This year, the Agera R will be offered with a removable hard top that can be stowed away within the car—nothing essential or groundbreaking, but rarely (if ever) done with a car in this genre. For the 2013 Agera R, physical changes include: carbon area on the front bonnet and bumper, new front-side winglets and Aircore carbon fiber wheels. The Aircore carbon fiber wheels are a solid, one-piece wheel constructed entirely from carbon fiber. In fact, that only metal that can be found on the wheel is the valve stem. With this technology, the wheels now weigh less than 40% of their previous weight.

Although the Agera R remains mostly unchanged, it did receive a bit of a boost in power for the 2013 model. Still running a twin-turbo aluminum 5.0L V8, 4 valves per cylinder, DOHC powerplant, it is now capable of 1,140 horsepower at 7,100 rpm (with a redline of 7,500 rpm) and 885 ft.-lb. of torque; translating to over 200 more horsepower and 75 more ft.-lb. of torque. Engine compression gets a slight bump from 8.9:1 to 9:1, but still remains extremely low due to high turbo pressure. The Agera R also possibly has the most carbon fiber within its structure than any other high-performance vehicle. Utilizing a carbon fiber with aluminum honeycomb monocoque, a curb weight (all fluids and 50% fuel) of 3,157 lb. becomes possible.

With its gargantuan amount of horsepower and torque, coupled with its light weight, Koenigsegg is claiming the Agera R can reach a top speed of 273 mph, with a 0-62 mph speed of 2.9 seconds. To combat inertia, the Agera R is outfitted with ventilated ceramic discs (397 mm, 40 mm wide) with six-piston calipers up front, and ventilated ceramic discs (80 mm, 34mm wide) with four-piston calipers in the rear.

The Agera R stands out for many reasons; however, one that is highly commendable is that Koenigsegg is known for attempting to be somewhat of a “green” company. The Agera R can, and was designed to run on E85 fuel (but can easily run on 95 octane as well). Among standout features like what kind of fuel it can run on, the Agera R has much more to offer. For this year’s Agera R, Christian von Koenigsegg has developed the Triplex rear suspension, which “works in series with the normal springs and dampers, allowing their spring and damping rates to be lowered. This results in increased comfort and better handling on rough and wet surfaces without compromising dry track handling.” The car is also outfitted with traction control with five different modes, stability control, solid-state semiconductors (no fuses or relays), dual airbags, 4-point racing harnesses, power windows and navigation, among other amenities.

Currently deemed the world’s quickest car, we will see if the Agera R can attain another Guinness speed record, leaving the Veyron a thing of the past. The Agera R, however, is much more than just a rocket-turned-car. The Agera R is a finely tuned, highly-specialized vehicle with cutting edge technology and looks to kill. It is said that Koenigsegg will be manufacturing a North American spec Agera R, so keep your eyeballs peeled for it. Because if you do see it, it may be gone before you realize what it is.

For more info go to:
Koenigsegg.com