Koenigsegg breaks its own 0-400-0kmh record

Koenigsegg has beaten its own 0-400-0kph (0-249-0mph) record by 1.8sec with a standard Regera.

Instead of flying to the Nevada desert, the hypercar maker set the record on a vacant part of a remote military airfield in Sweden, its home country.

The Regera set a time of 31.49sec. It spent 22.87sec reaching 249mph and 8.62sec coming to a complete stop. The way it brakes is more impressive than the way it accelerates, according to company founder and boss Christian von Koenigsegg. He added that the surface of the airfield used for the run is uneven, so intrepid Swedish test driver Sonny Persson had to swerve around bumps, and claimed that the Regera could easily beat the new record on a surface better suited to driving at high speed.

Koenigsegg's new record comes just weeks after the Bugatti Chiron became the fastest production car in the world and the first to break the 300mph barrier. Von Koenigsegg likely had his French rival in mind when he pointed out that the record-setting Regera was a regular production model still fitted with all of its creature comforts and both of its seats; only a roll cage and a four-point harness were added.

The 1782bhp Regera stayed in one gear for the entire run, because it's fitted with Koenigsegg's Direct Drive technology, which replaces the conventional gearbox and reduces energy losses by up to 50%. The rest of the powertrain consists of a 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine and three electric motors.

Bugatti confirmed plans to stop chasing records in order to focus on other projects, so Koenigsegg's time will stand for the foreseeable future. While the company strongly stressed that it can do better, it hasn't revealed when it will give the run another shot.

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