Carbon fiber for the One Percenters
June 6, 2012 8:40 AM Subscribe
An extended look inside [30:21] the production facility of innovative Swedish "hypercar" manufacturer Koenigsegg.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- frimble
Yay! Koenigseggisseggggnignigsegigisegggg! (I'm sorry, the joke was too good not to steal.)
posted by strixus at 9:05 AM on June 6, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by strixus at 9:05 AM on June 6, 2012 [2 favorites]
Eriko, that's 200-0, not the other way around. Still, 0-200 in 17.68 isn't too shabby.
To be fair, if you put me behind the wheel of that thing, I would probably find a way to to do 0-200 faster than 7.28s.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 9:08 AM on June 6, 2012
To be fair, if you put me behind the wheel of that thing, I would probably find a way to to do 0-200 faster than 7.28s.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 9:08 AM on June 6, 2012
200-0, dammit!
posted by [expletive deleted] at 9:08 AM on June 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by [expletive deleted] at 9:08 AM on June 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
This post brought to you by "Boy Are We Glad We Didn't Buy Saab or There'd Be No Production To Show You"
posted by dammitjim at 9:09 AM on June 6, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by dammitjim at 9:09 AM on June 6, 2012 [2 favorites]
They don't have a 0-60mph time for the Agera R. Why? Because the 0-200mph time is 7.28s.
Under specifications it says 0-62mph in 2.9s.
posted by HumanComplex at 9:12 AM on June 6, 2012
Under specifications it says 0-62mph in 2.9s.
posted by HumanComplex at 9:12 AM on June 6, 2012
I'm sure, given a chance, I could do 200-0 in far less time than that.
Only once, but...it could be done!
posted by Malor at 9:22 AM on June 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
Only once, but...it could be done!
posted by Malor at 9:22 AM on June 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
The test drive is gold. In the fog, you hear the engine moving just above idle and think they are just pulling out onto the runway, then it cuts to the dash. 7th gear, 100kph. The test driver comments "and now we're like on sixteeen hundred revs, so actually on the highway it's quite economic, for the car that it is."
posted by [expletive deleted] at 9:24 AM on June 6, 2012
posted by [expletive deleted] at 9:24 AM on June 6, 2012
I have no fucking clue how they're getting over a grand of horsepower out of a 5 liter V8 that's rev-limited to under 8000 RPM.
Twin turbos.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:24 AM on June 6, 2012
Twin turbos.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:24 AM on June 6, 2012
"Boy Are We Glad We Didn't Buy Saab or There'd Be No Production To Show You"
Well, unlike those jokers at Spyker, who clearly had way too much shady money to burn through, the folks at Koenigsegg always struck me as knowing what they were doing. That is, utterly mental supercars.
Quite amazingly, Spyker is supposedly still in business. I guess there are indeed people with just too much money.
posted by Skeptic at 9:27 AM on June 6, 2012
Well, unlike those jokers at Spyker, who clearly had way too much shady money to burn through, the folks at Koenigsegg always struck me as knowing what they were doing. That is, utterly mental supercars.
Quite amazingly, Spyker is supposedly still in business. I guess there are indeed people with just too much money.
posted by Skeptic at 9:27 AM on June 6, 2012
The interior on that white show car looks absolutely rubbish (I had to check their website to confirm that it's actually all leather, not cheap plastic). But I'm fairly sure it's because at 200 mph, you just don't care what it looks like on the inside.
posted by daniel_charms at 9:51 AM on June 6, 2012
posted by daniel_charms at 9:51 AM on June 6, 2012
I read that damn line three times because I was so boggled at it -- and misread it every time.
BAD BRAIN. BAD.
But I'm fairly sure it's because at 200 mph, you just don't care what it looks like on the inside.
If you are looking at the interior at 200mph, you are doing it wrong, and you just might get a *very* close and *very* brief look at the dashboard.
posted by eriko at 9:53 AM on June 6, 2012 [3 favorites]
BAD BRAIN. BAD.
But I'm fairly sure it's because at 200 mph, you just don't care what it looks like on the inside.
If you are looking at the interior at 200mph, you are doing it wrong, and you just might get a *very* close and *very* brief look at the dashboard.
posted by eriko at 9:53 AM on June 6, 2012 [3 favorites]
Is this one of those "If you have to ask how much it costs, you don't need to know," sort of things?
posted by valkyryn at 10:25 AM on June 6, 2012
posted by valkyryn at 10:25 AM on June 6, 2012
Pretty much. Kias don't come with aluminum honeycomb carbon fiber.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:37 AM on June 6, 2012
posted by leotrotsky at 10:37 AM on June 6, 2012
I have no fucking clue how they're getting over a grand of horsepower out of a 5 liter V8 that's rev-limited to under 8000 RPM.
It's possible to get that much horsepower from a 5.7 liter Chevy, which is normally not a high revving engine I believe because of its pushrod design. Forced induction and very well balanced components and lots and lots of optimizations.
posted by zippy at 10:59 AM on June 6, 2012
It's possible to get that much horsepower from a 5.7 liter Chevy, which is normally not a high revving engine I believe because of its pushrod design. Forced induction and very well balanced components and lots and lots of optimizations.
posted by zippy at 10:59 AM on June 6, 2012
Boost makes that kind of power easy; it's really not that remarkable anymore. Which is crazy.
posted by LordSludge at 11:20 AM on June 6, 2012
posted by LordSludge at 11:20 AM on June 6, 2012
To clarify, the limiting factor in how much power you can get from an engine is how much air you can get through it. (Fuel is not a problem; you can supply more than you'll ever need.) To get lots of air through an engine, you can either rev high and optimize every little thing to that end (involving parts-balancing, exotic lightweight materials, flow-optimization... very expensive!), or just pressurize it using, for example, a pair of turbos. If you want more power in a boosted engine, you don't need to rev it higher; rather, just increase the boost pressure.
posted by LordSludge at 11:37 AM on June 6, 2012
posted by LordSludge at 11:37 AM on June 6, 2012
Koenigsegg makes one of my favorite cars on Forza (CC8S?), which is probably about as close as I'll ever come to actually driving one.
posted by feloniousmonk at 12:34 PM on June 6, 2012
posted by feloniousmonk at 12:34 PM on June 6, 2012
[expletive deleted]: "200-0, dammit!"
Eponotysterical.
posted by IAmBroom at 1:25 PM on June 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
Eponotysterical.
posted by IAmBroom at 1:25 PM on June 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
...the folks at Koenigsegg always struck me as knowing what they were doing.
That they may, but it took the Stig to tell them that the CCX needed a spoiler, affectionately known as the "Top Gear Wing" to be the fastest car round their test track for a short while.
posted by fragmede at 2:41 PM on June 6, 2012
That they may, but it took the Stig to tell them that the CCX needed a spoiler, affectionately known as the "Top Gear Wing" to be the fastest car round their test track for a short while.
posted by fragmede at 2:41 PM on June 6, 2012
Boost makes that kind of power easy; it's really not that remarkable anymore. Which is crazy.
Huh? Did you miss the part where it said they're doing this with pump gas? You can't just turn up boost to 3 bar or whatever and expect it to work for more than a second or two before it blows itself to pieces. There is nothing unremarkable about this engine.
posted by indubitable at 4:00 PM on June 6, 2012
Huh? Did you miss the part where it said they're doing this with pump gas? You can't just turn up boost to 3 bar or whatever and expect it to work for more than a second or two before it blows itself to pieces. There is nothing unremarkable about this engine.
posted by indubitable at 4:00 PM on June 6, 2012
Thank you, that was wonderful. I only wish the interviewer had known a bit more about cars. Or maybe that was intentional (or maybe he did and was faking) to make it more accessible.
Anyway, despite whatever misgivings I might have about the superrich and their toys, I am glad that there is a market that allows people like this, who really love their product, to just say: "Let's make the absolute best thing possible and damn the cost."
posted by 256 at 4:05 PM on June 6, 2012
Anyway, despite whatever misgivings I might have about the superrich and their toys, I am glad that there is a market that allows people like this, who really love their product, to just say: "Let's make the absolute best thing possible and damn the cost."
posted by 256 at 4:05 PM on June 6, 2012
Did you miss the part where it said they're doing this with pump gas?
It's much harder on comparatively low-octane pump gas, no question. (I bet you could push 2000hp on that Koenigsegg using E85 or race gas and lots more boost...) But it's not unique by any means -- here's a 1070whp Corvette kit. This guy does 1740hp carburated; he's shooting for 2000hp. (Of course, the added displacement of these engines is not to be overlooked!)
It's just that 1000+hp cars are pretty common nowadays, thanks to boost. That's mostly aftermarket, certainly, but hell, the new Shelby GT500 puts down 650+bhp stock, or even 800bhp with the "Super Snake". 200+mph. In a factory-built Mustang. It's pretty ridiculous.
I'm a car guy and all, but these power levels are just getting silly. Remember when folks used to worry about teenagers driving 225hp Mustang GTs? Sheesh! The kids these days...
You can't just turn up boost to 3 bar or whatever and expect it to work for more than a second or two before it blows itself to pieces.
No, no, of course not. You gotta tune the air/fuel & ignition (fairly simple with fuel-injection + programmable ECUs), cool the intake charge, use stronger, lower-compression engine guts, manage the heat, etc. -- all well-known stuff, all within reach of a middle-class hobbyist.
My point was simply that an eye-popping 1000+hp is easily do-able with boost -- albeit using race gas, to your point. Now getting 1100hp out of a 5.0L *without* boost would be quite the trick...
posted by LordSludge at 6:50 PM on June 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
It's much harder on comparatively low-octane pump gas, no question. (I bet you could push 2000hp on that Koenigsegg using E85 or race gas and lots more boost...) But it's not unique by any means -- here's a 1070whp Corvette kit. This guy does 1740hp carburated; he's shooting for 2000hp. (Of course, the added displacement of these engines is not to be overlooked!)
It's just that 1000+hp cars are pretty common nowadays, thanks to boost. That's mostly aftermarket, certainly, but hell, the new Shelby GT500 puts down 650+bhp stock, or even 800bhp with the "Super Snake". 200+mph. In a factory-built Mustang. It's pretty ridiculous.
I'm a car guy and all, but these power levels are just getting silly. Remember when folks used to worry about teenagers driving 225hp Mustang GTs? Sheesh! The kids these days...
You can't just turn up boost to 3 bar or whatever and expect it to work for more than a second or two before it blows itself to pieces.
No, no, of course not. You gotta tune the air/fuel & ignition (fairly simple with fuel-injection + programmable ECUs), cool the intake charge, use stronger, lower-compression engine guts, manage the heat, etc. -- all well-known stuff, all within reach of a middle-class hobbyist.
My point was simply that an eye-popping 1000+hp is easily do-able with boost -- albeit using race gas, to your point. Now getting 1100hp out of a 5.0L *without* boost would be quite the trick...
posted by LordSludge at 6:50 PM on June 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
For similar hypercar factory goodness, check out:
Inside the McLaren Technology Centre
(Really, really impressed by the work they're doing at drive.)
posted by LordSludge at 11:39 PM on June 6, 2012
Inside the McLaren Technology Centre
(Really, really impressed by the work they're doing at drive.)
posted by LordSludge at 11:39 PM on June 6, 2012
Is this one of those "If you have to ask how much it costs, you don't need to know," sort of things?
I usually cue off little tells like "If you have no local dealer, we will fly the mechanic out to you. For special upgrades, people will generally fly the car back to Sweden."
From their evil-genius lairs in the Sonoran Desert, you know.
I'm usually pretty resistant to this level of marketing, but that car has got me wailing with unbridled desire. The last time that happened was the first time I saw a Pantera at age sixteen.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 1:54 PM on June 7, 2012
I usually cue off little tells like "If you have no local dealer, we will fly the mechanic out to you. For special upgrades, people will generally fly the car back to Sweden."
From their evil-genius lairs in the Sonoran Desert, you know.
I'm usually pretty resistant to this level of marketing, but that car has got me wailing with unbridled desire. The last time that happened was the first time I saw a Pantera at age sixteen.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 1:54 PM on June 7, 2012
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(jaw bounces off floor.)
posted by eriko at 9:01 AM on June 6, 2012