Car UK May 2019

106 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | MAY 2019

Inside Koenigsegg

cabin space and visibility over previous Koenigseggs’ visor-like feel. The

doors’ synchro-helix hinges are also revised for easier access.

The mid-mounted 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 shares only its 90º

vee and 100mm bore spacing with the Ford blocks Koenigseggs originally

used; the aluminium block is cast by Grainger and Worrall in the UK then

milled on-site in Sweden. Super-sized turbochargers run 1.5-bar boost,

the inevitable lag counteracted by a 20-litre carbon tank of air that gives a

20-bar shot to set turbine blades spinning earlier than exhaust gases can. It

was a much lighter solution than adding extra turbos, explains Christian.

There are tumble valves on the intake side to help meet emissions stand-

ards, and pistons that weigh just 290g, conrods just 540g – both steel but

said to be similar in weight if stronger than the previous titanium.

Active engine mounts stifle vibrations from a flat-plane crankshaft

milled from high-tensile Dievar steel in southern Sweden. It’s Koenigsegg’s

first, and helps – along with those feathery moving parts – this turbo-

charged V8 with a long 95.5mm stroke reach 8500rpm. At 12.5kg, it’s said to

be the lightest flat-plane crank in a production car, ‘and there’s hardly any

flywheel, so it revs like a F1 engine in neutral’, promises Christian.

Supercar makers are split on the merits of heavier but faster-shifting

dual-clutch gearboxes and lighter but slower automated-manual alter-

natives. Christian says his own nine-speed Light Speed Transmission

is the best of both. ‘It weighs 90kg where a dual-clutch is 120-140kg, and

that includes the starter motor, flywheel and fluids.’ It’s 50 per cent more

compact than the Agera’s automated manual transmission, helping centre

more weight between the axles.

Shifts ‘occur in virtually zero time’, and you can either cycle through

gears sequentially with the paddles or stick in the centre console, or pull

through a second ‘notch’ on either to directly select the lowest possible

gear, say ninth to fourth, blam. The entire project, from concept to design

and manufacture has been conducted in-house. Testing will span 60,000

miles. The gearbox must process 1106lb ft, and quite a lot of speed.

Max revs in ninth gear gives a theoretical 315mph. ‘This car’s aero won’t

allow that, so we’re doing a low-drag version, a hyper GT. It will be more

road-biased, with electric seats, and you’ll be able to stow the removable

roof under the bonnet [not possible in the regular Jesko], plus the rear wing

will be quite different.’ Extra testing means a higher price of around $3m,

and it’ll be called the Jesko 300 – the plan is to break 300mph. (The Agera

RS hit 284.55mph on a closed Nevada road.)

I ask Christian if perhaps 1578bhp and instant gearshifts to the lowest

possible ratio isn’t overkill on a rear-wheel-drive track car. He concedes

that one gear at a time will be more suitable for track use: ‘Jumping gears

works better on the road, when you want to go from a lazy cruise to a spir-

ited drive instantly.’

But he stresses that Koenigseggs offer impressive traction and the Jesko

should deploy 1200-1300bhp usably, partly down to tyres, aero and com-

bustion-based traction control, but also inherently sound chassis design.

He points to the wishbones, claimed to be the industry’s longest front and

rear, and softer suspension than a pure track car.

Featuring electronically adjustable Öhlins dampers, the suspension is an

evolution of Agera principles, with Koenigsegg’s Triplex damper design at

the rear. The Triplex is braced horizontally between suspension mounts, ⊲

Before customer cars

become actual reality, much

work remains. As yet, no

prototypes are running

Each Regera

is the same for

stages A-C;

D onwards is

bespoke