(Image Source: Flickr)
November 2017 has seen a Koenigsegg Agera RS create a new record for the highest speed ever recorded in a production vehicle. Niklas Lilja, the driver of the vehicle, was able to average a top speed of no less than 277.87 miles per hour in the two runs he took in the $2 million coupe.
He used a closed-off, 11 mile section of Highway 160 close to Pahrump in the state of Nevada, USA. That superseded the record previously set seven years ago by a Bugatti Veyron Super Sports model in Germany, which hit 267.8 miles per hour, as well as the top speeds previously set by the McLaren F1 and the Hennessey Venom GT.
Setting new records
Lilja has also set new records for the highest speed reached in one direction when driving on a public road (284.55 miles per hour) as well as in a 0-400-0 kilometre per hour run (33.28 seconds). He also has the highest average speed on a public road for a flying kilometre (276.9 miles per hour) and the highest average speed on a public road with a flying start for a mile (276.36 miles per hour). The last two records have been in place since as far as back as 1938, when a modified W125 race car designed by Nazi engineers raced on a section of the autobahn in Germany.
A new golden age
According to Michelin’s product manager for original equipment, Eric Schmedding, the current time period is a golden age for high performance vehicles. Schmedding says that it took many years for the 200 miles per hour to be broken, but that the 300 miles per hour mark is now within reach, in a fiercely competitive and very ‘fast moving’ game. Although there has been much hype surrounding autonomous and self driving vehicles, it is also an exciting time for high powered super cars that are actually drivable.
The facts
The lightning-fast Koenigsegg Agera RS responsible for setting the new record came equipped with a twin turbocharged V8 engine, a power to weight ratio close to that of the iconic Koeniggsegg One:1, and 1360 horsepower. The vehicle also weighed no more than 1395 kilograms (just 3075 pounds), which is as much as 1000 pounds less than the previous record holder, the Bugatti, which weighed 4162 pounds. It’s also almost 200hp more powerful!
However, according to Steven Wade, a spokesman for Koenigsegg, the vehicle was also altered for downforce, which is important for ensuring a car remains stable during acceleration and when moving at a very high speed. This was the vital factor in ensuring the Agera RS could move faster than the One:1, which is much more expensive, powerful and unstable. The Agera RS lacks some of the more dramatic aerodynamics of the One:1, which also results in it having less drag, enabling it to get through the air more quickly and with a bit less downforce. This is considerably more suited to top speeds, making the car a much more credible candidate for being able to achieve a new top speed record.
