Koenigsegg Agera RS Destroys Bugatti Chiron in Record 0-400-0 KPH Record Run

The small Angelholm automaker's hypercar managed to leave the Volkswagen Group's crown jewel way behind, with the sprinting and decceleration numbers of the two easily showcasing that. We're looking at 36.44 vs. 41.92s. And things look sweeter for the Swede when we go into the details of the runs.

We'll start with the Egg, which took 26.88s to go from standstill to 400 km/h, needing 1.9 km (1.18 miles) to cover the task. As for the Bug, this required 32.6 seconds and 2.6 km (1.61 miles) during the 400 km/h run it delivered back in September.

The 1,360 hp, 1,395 kg (3,075 lbs) Agera RS also beat the 1,500 hp, 1,995 kg (4,398 lbs) Chiron in the braking match. While the first needed 9.56 seconds and 483m (1,584 feet) to come back to 0 km/h, the second required 9.3 seconds and 491m (1,611 feet) for the task.

As always with adventures coming from manufacturers that don't sit under a big umbrella, Koenigsegg had to make last-minute arrangements in order to complete the record.

You see, after the German weather canceled the company's plans for a Papenburg run, which was supposed to be held between September 30th and October 2nd, the crew decided to hit the Vandel Airfield in Denmark on October 1st.

The carmaker explains the rush of the effort: "The change of venue was arranged so quickly that confirmation of Vandel’s availability only came through just 12 hours before we left the Koenigsegg factory for the 4-hour drive to the track,"

Just as you would do with a pushup challenge, the hypercar took incremental steps towards hitting its goal. It's just that the pre-record runs kicked off with a 0-350 km/h stunt. Much as it happened back in the day when Koenigsegg installed a wing after the CCX was manhandled (read: spun) by The Stig, this run led to an update for the Agera RS. To be more precise, the high-speed setting of the rear wing now features a small change for the aero element's angle, one that helps reduce drag.

Now, after checking out the footage of the stunt, which involves the full in-cabin view of the run, you might have questions. Fortunately, the K people have come up with some answers.

Why did the hypercar feature a respectable amount of tape?

"The last-minute nature of the test is also why the car still has industrial tape over various surfaces to protect them from debris. The application of tape is standard procedure during normal pre-delivery testing at Koenigsegg and we did not have time to remove it,"

Wasn't Koenigsegg famous for the 0-300-0 km/h One:1 record that saw Robert Serwanski keeping his hands off the wheel? Why did Niklas Lilja, the driver of the Agera RS, had to manhandle the steering wheel during this new run?

"The deteriorating condition of the 2,800m track’s surface was evident during our tests there. The video [below] shows Niklas having to exert a fair amount of control over the steering as he responds to bumps and small potholes in the surface,"

What role did the electronics play?

"Due to the low grip level on the mostly concrete surface, data shows the traction control engaging on the first three gear changes to counter wheelspin, the highest-speed instance of which was logged at 183 km/h during the gear change between 3rd and 4th [that doesn't sound scary at all]. In comparison, at our test track in Ängelholm, we rarely have any need for traction control over 130 km/h or second gear,"

Oh, and by the way, this Agera RS is a customer car headed for the US, so you might just come across it at your local Cars & Coffee event.