Fastest car in the world
Fastest-ever production car Record may be short-lived
Koenigsegg Agera RS hits 277.9mph to leave Bugatti trailing
THE world has a new fastest production car, thanks to a remarkable high-speed run by the Koenigsegg Agera RS.
The two-way average of 277.9mph was achieved by the Swedish supercar on an 11-mile stretch of road in Nevada in the US. It’s 12mph faster than the existing mark, held by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.
The Agera RS’S pace is also more than 7mph clear of the speed set by the Hennessey Venom GT – and that car’s figure did not make the record books because it was achieved in only the one direction.
Koenigsegg’s attempt at the world record took place on the road between Las Vegas and Pahrump in the Nevada desert. The road was closed specifically for the record attempt, but while the authorities had allowed for two days of high-speed activity, the Koenigsegg team actually broke the record early on the first day.
Koenigsegg’s factory test driver, Niklas Lija, drove the Agera RS, with its 1,380bhp, 5.0-litre turbo V8, to set the new record. After one sighting run he made his first speed attempt, turned around and came back. The result was a new world record two-way average of 277.9mph, although official in-car footage posted by Koenigsegg appeared to show that Lija hit more than 284mph on his return run.
All that remains is for the world speed record, which was recorded and verified by Racelogic, to be officially recognised.
Even if Koenigsegg does secure the title of world’s fastest production car, Hennessy is already claiming that its revised Venom F5 hypercar can reach 300mph, and Bugatti has yet to put the Veyron’s successor, the Chiron to the test in anger.
The VW Group hypercar is said to have its top speed limited to 261mph, but Bugatti has hinted that the W16-powered creation could reach as much as 310mph. To support any attempt to demonstrate this, Michelin is working on a tyre capable of withstanding the forces that will be generated when the 1,479bhp, 1,996kg car approaches the 300mph barrier.