Watch This Koenigsegg Regera Casually Busting the 0-250-0 MPH One-Month-Fresh Record

A month ago, the latest and greatest of electric vehicles' megastars – the Rimac Nevera – broke 23 performance records in a single test session. There isn't much the rest of the automobile multiverse can do about it. When this Croatian Thanos snaps its four-motor fingers, half the hypercars in the world disappear in a cloud of tire smoke (the other half can only admit defeat).

But Thanos didn't end well – a Norse mythological god had the last laugh – and lost his head over his whole "purge the universe" adventure (with Thor – the God of Thunders – landing an axe of assistance). The same is valid for Rimac Nevera's 0-250-0 mph (0-402-0 kph) record: another Scandinavian piston god rose to the challenge.

It should be pretty straightforward by now – only one carmaker in the northern European peninsula can give a taillamps cold shoulder to anyone: Koenigsegg. Incidentally, the Swedish carmaker was also the record holder for the ultimate hypercar instant test of might.

Since top speed is hardly a contest anymore, with a select club of brands casually sporting 250+ mph / (north of 400 kph), there's another telltale sign of supremacy. Hard acceleration followed by brutal braking is the name of the game.

In May of this year, Rimac broke the 30-second barrier for the test, claiming the title with a score of 29.94 seconds. While this was applauded the world over, one particular spectator felt differently. Koenigsegg is really good at building extreme cars, but the company also excels in subtle humor.

Using the same telemetry equipment as the Rimac Nevera, a Koenigsegg Regera hit the track and blitzed it. It beat the all-electric hypercar without batting an eyelid. RaceLogic measured a 28.81-second for the 0-400-0 kph (0-248.6-0 kph) and 29.60 for the 0-250-0 mph (0-402.25-0 kph). Whichever way we look at it, it still is ahead of the Nevera.

Rimac's one-month-lived acceleration record stood tall at 21.32 seconds for the 0-400 kph (248.6 mph) sprint. The braking back to a dead stop took 8.64 seconds. The Regera cut those times by a few clicks just to prove a point.

As the company puts it: "because it can," and 0-400 kph in 20.68 seconds and 400-0 kph in 8.13 seconds is the new equivalent of Everest in the hypercar realm. Furthermore, because the Nevera bested 250 mph (402 kph) in 21.89 seconds, the Regera felt obliged to correct that performance by half a second (21.35 seconds).

So, how can a ten-year-old-tech Koenigsegg be faster than an all-electric sensation? The answer lies – again – with Rimac's setup. The Croatian hound of speed hell used Michelin Cup 2 R rubbers to raise the hypercar performance bar.

That's precisely what the Regera did – got Michelin Cup 2 R tires and put them to hard work on a smoother track. When the Regera did its first speed-and-brake test in 2019 (setting the 0-400-0 kph record at 31.49 seconds), Michelin's performance tires weren't available.

Even so, the Regera improved the previous time-attack performance – set in 2017 by its Agera RS by nearly two seconds (down from 33.29 seconds). This seems like the most in-your-face victory laugh that Koenigsegg snarks at the posh all-electric missile. But take a closer look at the Regera, and you'll see why it still reigns supreme over the rest of Planet Piston.

The Nevera has four electric motors – one for each wheel. The Regera only has three (axial flux type), giving it a 690-hp/700-PS electric boost and 3.500 Nm/2.581 lb-ft of torque directly to the rear wheels (the crank equivalent of 1.000 Nm/738 lb-ft).

But all of the above is connected to a five-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 that puts out 1,500 hp (on E85 fuel) and 944 lb-ft /1.280 Nm. The genius of Koenigsegg's Direct Drive system – no gearbox sits between the engine and the rear differential – minimizes transmission losses.

While the electric triad is the driving force from a standstill (thanks to the high torque available from 0 RPM), the ICE kicks in at higher speeds and gently pushes the Regera to its limits. In this case – play the video at 1:20 – it took less than a mile for the Koenigsegg to hit 250 mph (1,695 yards, to be accurate – or 1,550 meters).

In time-measuring units, that's 21.35 seconds, and the deceleration back to zero required an extra 8.25 seconds. Markus Lundh - Koenigsegg Development Driver - unlocked the achievement at the Örebro airport in Sweden on June 12, 2023.

"So, why set these new records with a car that is long off the production line? Because it can! Because it is still the King reigning supreme in today’s super competitive automotive landscape, and that is something that should be celebrated with a new record." Koenigsegg – The Swedish Megacar manufacturer