It all started with the sports car. And with the likes of Ferrari and Porsche the possibilities of automobile engineering seemed limitless. Soon after the supercar was introduced; and with manufactures pushing the envelope on automobile engineering even further the definition of supercars became a little hazy. Until the introduction of the Bugatti Veyron in the early 2000s. This car was totally in a league of its own, dominating all automotive benchmarks set by other well known manufacturer of its time. Thus the hypercar was born, and with manufacturers like Ferrari and Lamborghini unable to keep up, this car was on top of its game for the next decade.

Until now, with the introduction of the Koenigsegg Agera One: 1, the world's first 'megacar'. The engineers at Koenigsegg have broken the limits of hypercar possibilities by creating a car that goes beyond and sets a new benchmark on automotive speed and excellence. Completely destroying the hypercar. The One: 1 is not a car; it's a road bound rocket ship. Stealthy and swift, everything about this car has an innately inimitable feel about it. The name for instance has been derived by its power to weight ratio. The car produces 1340 bhp and weighs just 1340 kg; hence one kilogram for every horsepower, which in itself is an absolutely unbelievable feat. With a claimed top speed of more than 440 km/h, and acceleration capable to hit 400 km/s, the One: 1 is all set to hit the record books as being the fastest car in the world. Another aspect of this car is that it is super-rare. Even before its launch the One: 1 sold-out all of its 6 units making this car a legend in the makings.

Koenigsegg Agera One: 1 stats

Performance

The engine powering this mega car is a twin-turbocharged, 5.0-liter V8 that generates a massive 1,341 bhp and 1,011 pound-feet of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and electronically-controlled differential makes sure all the power gets transferred to the wheels. Its features sound like props from a science fiction movie like variable geometry turbos in custom, 3D-printed housings and a 3D-printed titanium exhaust. And although this car seems built for achieving its top speed, Koenigsegg say that the One: 1 is more of a track day car. All thanks to the riding aids that are built into the body improving cornering capabilities and increasing down force. In addition to these aids, things like the ride height, dampers and spring rates all adjust automatically according to the speed of the car.

The overall weight of the One: 1 is another aspect of this car which is quite fascinating and adds to the performance. With extensive use of carbon fibre, the One:1 tips the scales at 1360kg relatively around the same as small hatchback. To put this into some perspective the lightweight One:1 has an engine which is about 10-12 times more powerful than a similar weighted hatchback. As the name suggest, this cars power to weight ratio truly raises the bar of performance.

Styling

The designers at Koenigsegg have made all the possible effort to make the One:1 as aerodynamically sound as possible. That in the One:1 looks more like a alien space craft than a road-legal car. One of the most prominent parts of the One:1 is the rear wing which gives the best combination of downforce, drag and braking. This car also features two large intercoolers on the sides which not only add to the aesthetics but are also functional by helping to optimise the cooling. The only other car that comes close, when it comes to styling and aerodynamics is the Pagani Zonda.

The Verdict

Why Koenigsegg decided to go with only 6 cars is anyone's guess. But I think what most motoring enthusiast would be thinking about is whether the One:1 can beat the Veyron Sport and take the Guinness records away from the French. Well unfortunately that seems like a distant possibility as the rules for Guinness stipulate that a minimum of 30 production cars have to be rolled out off the production line in-order for a car to qualify. And with the One:1 limiting its production to just 6, that won't be happening anytime soon. Nevertheless with the One:1 the automotive industry seems to have taken a quantum leap forward and it's only a matter of time before we see the next big leap forward.