Photograph by James Holm
Driver's Notebook: Magnetic North
August 1, 2005
Picking favorites in anything–wine, restaurants, cities, golf
courses–is not an exact science. The choosers’ personal preferences are bound to
shade their decisions.
In cars, it is the same; just check any chat room or any discussion among auto
aficionados at the club or at the game. However, statistics like speed and
horsepower are measurable. Why, then, is there a possible dispute about the
fastest production supercar ever made? The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 hit over 248.5
mph several times in the spring. Yet Christian von Koenigsegg, manufacturer of
the Koenigsegg CCR, which had held the speed record since it hit 241 mph on
February 28 this year, predicts his CCR will go over 245 mph when it is tested
on a straight track. The CCR had produced its remarkable February numbers in the
humidity of a southern Italian test facility, a huge banked loop at Nardò that
requires a constant steering angle of 30 degrees, while the Veyron set its
record on a straight track.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Photograph by Matt Davis. (Click image to enlarge)
The CCR, with its heavy-breathing intercooled
superchargers, is likely to beat the Veyron at the top-speed game once it is
allowed on a long enough straight under 70-degree warmth and dry conditions. Von
Koenigsegg wants to take his car to the Bonneville Salt Flats to regain the
record. After driving the CCR, I am guessing that he may do it. Shortly after the Geneva auto show in March, I traveled to the former base of
Sweden’s First Fighter Jet Squadron in Ängelholm, just north of Malmö, where I
tested the Koenigsegg CCR on an empty runway.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Since it set the speed record in February, the CCR has seen its orders triple.
Annual production, now at 15 cars, will jump to 40 cars by the end of this
year–one car per workweek in holiday-happy Sweden. This increase is due chiefly
to the successful homologation of the CCR for North America, with deliveries
starting in the United States in late October. Thirty American consumers already
have their names on one. (Click image
to enlarge)
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The body is made of carbon fiber and Kevlar. (Click image to
enlarge)I’ve seen the 2006 CCR that will go on sale around the world in conjunction with the October launch in the States. Cosmetic differences render the current look tighter–think Ferrari F430 versus 360 Modena. Fully standard CCRs for customers automatically set one apart. A small silver ghost–the symbol for the Swedish First Fighter Jet Squadron–is painted in the center of the rear engine cover of every CCR. Koenigsegg trademarks are the 10-button panel on the center console upright, and that tall precision-machined alloy shift lever rising comfortably close to the steering wheel. On the command dial, the top three switches run the lighting, the middle two on each side operate the windows, and the bottom three are the engine controls.
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A tall gearshift
lever means the driver’s hand never needs to stray far from the steering wheel.
(Click image to enlarge) This brought me to the jet squadron’s wide 2 km—long landing strip, where I could do anything I wanted without hurting or annoying anyone. What made driving this red record-breaker that much more fun on the empty pavement was that all software-induced traction had been disconnected, so smoking the Michelin tires was easy, if not encouraged. Stock CCRs do come with Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) and traction control.
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