Just realised that i haven’t posted anything recently (or even at all) on the automotive section of my blog.
So here’s something on my dream four wheel drive (other than that other four wheel fantasy of owning a DBS, with which i will take my future wife on tours around europe), the Koenigsegg CCXR Edition.
This car’s earlier predecessor, the CCR was the world’s fastest car till the Veyron came and ate it. There aren’t any official records of this CCXR reclaiming the title, but there have been rumours of unofficial tests that suggest that.
Anyways, here’s the wikipedia writeup:
In March 2008, two models – The CCX Edition and the CCXR Edition – were launched at the Geneva Motor Show.[23] Both models are fitted with a remapped, 4.8 liter twin-supercharged Koenigsegg engine. The engine tune in the CCXR Edition is more powerful than that of the standard CCX, developing 1,018 bhp (759 kW) at 7000 rpm and 797 ft·lb (1,081 N·m) of torque at 5600 rpm. The CCX Edition develops 888 bhp (662 kW) at 7000 rpm and 679 ft·lb (921 N·m) of torque at 5800 rpm. In total the Edition produces over 772 lb (350 kg) of downforce at 155 mph (249 km/h).[24]
The Edition CCXR and CCX are more track oriented compared to the standard models, being equipped with stiffer springs and anti-roll bars, reset dampers and a lowered chassis. The Edition CCXR and the CCX also feature a fully visible carbon body, a large adjustable rear wing, larger front splitter and side strakes and a unique forged wheel design.[25]
The interior is also reworked and features: color matched leather carpets, Koenigsegg Edition side step plates, Edition chronograph instrument cluster, a new Edition only layout for the center console control panels, and features a special version of the Koenigsegg Chronocluster including a redesigned center console. All other extra equipment for the Koenigsegg Edition CCXR and CCX comes as standard: carbon wheels, special interior trim and color, rearview camera, Satnav or Bluetooth, amplifiers, complete Inconell exhaust system.
On March 19, 2009, Koenigesegg announced, via the Cars UK [26] site, that production of the CCXR Edition will be limited to just four cars, and that of the CCX Edition to only two. This was partly in response to the decline in the world economy, but also because Koenigsegg are now committed to an environmentally responsible future, as demosnstrated by the Quant, which was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009.
It generates more horsepower than the Bugatti Veyron (1001hp @ 6000rpm) at slightly higher revs, though the hyper VW Beetle (afterall, Bugatti is owned by Volkswagen, and the Veyron does look like one) generates more torque (1250 Nm @ 2200 -5500rpm). However, the Veyron is significantly heavier (1888kg vs 1280kg). To put things in perspective, the smaller, lightweight Ferrari F430 Scuderia is only 1250kg. And what’s stunning is that Koenigsegg is only a small Swedish outfit that is easily many of orders of magnitude smaller than Bugatti, Ferrari or Lamborghini without the support of huge parents such as VW. Case in point – each Veyron costs 5 million GBP to make, after all that research, yet is sold for 1.2 million only, resulting in a loss of 3.8 million pounds per car (i’m not crapping this up). For that sort of money, man, something in the value analysis has gone way wrong.
From what i’ve read, the Bugatti is really a hyper GT than a race car. Heck, the Pagani Zonda F beat it on Top Gear’s track, which in turn was slower than the CCX (the older version of the CCXR). The Bugatti with it’s huge engine block (go google it to see how big the 8 litre engire is) and four wheel drive allows it to be extremely weighted and composed on the with loads of torque on an even delivery. The two wheeled Koenigsegg is apparently more twitchy and lively especially at high speeds.
But give me either and i’d die happy.
p.s. i particularly like the koenigsegg’s shade of orange but the raw carbon fibre of the Edition version is godly.
Tags: cars
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