Hold on to your butts, kids, because Koenigsegg isn’t playing around. The Swedish high-performance automaker has unleashed a vehicle that is so fast, so powerful, and so downright intimidating that it might become the new benchmark for all others to strive for. The car is called the Regera, and upon its taking the limelight at this year’s Geneva Auto Show, it has undoubtedly become the belle of the ball.
The Regera is most definitely not your grandpa’s supercar — Koenigsegg has decided to up the ante in nearly every aspect imaginable, and the result is a supercar that is not only fast, but as powerful as anything on the road. The Regera can make up to 1,500 horsepower and 2,000 pound-feet of torque, making it the most powerful production car of all time, according to Jalopnik. All that power arrives from the car’s hybrid powertrain, which utilizes a 5.0-liter twinturbo V8 motor, combined with three electric engines.
“Regera is Swedish for ‘to Reign’ – a suitable name for a machine that offers a never seen before combination of power, responsiveness and luxury – creating a true Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde persona,” Koenigsegg says about its newest megacar creation. “Out in the open the Regera will reign as the king of the road, as the fastest accelerating, most powerful production car ever.”
Not only is the Regera a hybrid, it’s a plug-in hybrid. The car’s three electric motors, along with the twin-turbo V8 supply enough power to get the Regera down the track from zero to 60 miles per hour in only 2.8 seconds. Overall top speed is expected to be somewhere in the range of 250 miles per hour, putting the Regera in the highest echelon of performance supercars with vehicles like the Bugatti Veyron and Hennessey Venom GT — not to mention other Koenigseggs. Consider this as well: The Regera can reach 250 miles per hour in only 20 seconds. That’s faster than it takes you to grab another beer from the fridge.
It really is hard to understate just how powerful the Regera truly is. For comparison, Koenigsegg says that the car’s three electric engines produce a whopping 300 more horsepower than its rivals. That includes models like the Porsche 918 Spyder, which itself is an 887 horsepower hybrid rocket. But all of that extra battery weight evidently doesn’t drag down the car’s performance. “The Regera manages to be very competitive weight wise, while including unusual features such as a six way adjustable electrical seat and a fully robotized body work. This is no small feature and it is a testament to the meticulous nature of the Koenigsegg engineering team,” the company writes.
So, how exactly can you get your hands on one? It won’t be easy — or cheap. The Regera will be limited to only 80 production units, each with an estimated price tag of $1.89 million. Why 80, you ask? “Apart from being a suitable production run for Koenigsegg’s newly upgraded and refurbished production facility, the number 80 also symbolizes the principle of domination, control and achievement in Pythagorean Numerology.”
As you can see, considerable thought went into every conceivable detail of the new Regera, and once it does hit the market, there’s a good chance it will instantly become one of the most sought-after cars in the world. There is still plenty of work to do, however, as Koenigsegg is reportedly putting the finishing touches on its prototypes, and will then proceed to hit the track with the car and really put it to the test, as Top Gear reports.
The car shown off in Geneva is the first model to be completed, and even before it was unveiled this week, Koenigsegg was able to sell a few off without so much as a sneak peek. “We’ve already sold four even before anybody has seen the car,” Christian von Koenigsegg himself told Top Gear. “So the mood for this feels very positive”.
What we’re truly getting with the Regera is the next step in the evolution of hybrid technology. Once thought of as a simple gas-saving, commuter-car specialty, hybrid powertrains are quickly becoming used in the world’s fastest and most powerful cars. The fact that hybrid systems are suddenly in vogue with high-end automakers isn’t something that’s happened overnight.
Though internal combustion engines are doing a lion’s share of the work for many of these cars, electric motors can also supply a hearty level of instantaneous torque — allowing for the drivetrain to fill in gaps in the powerband, and giving hybrid supercars a distinct advantage over their strictly petroleum-powered rivals. In fact, some big names are dipping into the world of hybrid power supplies, not simply smaller, more specialized automakers. As mentioned, Porsche has the 918 Spyder, but Ferrari’s LaFerrari and the McLaren P1 are other examples.
It’s becoming apparent that hybrid and electric power is not just for increasing fuel economy and reducing emissions, but also for achieving mind-boggling speed and smashing through power barriers. Koenigsegg’s Regera is the next rung on the ladder for automotive achievement, and as these technologies continue to improve, it’s only a short time before we see cars that make over 2,000 horsepower and hit top speeds of 300 miles per hour.
But until then, it’s the Regera’s time “to reign.”
Source:Cheatsheet