The Bugatti Chiron didn’t hold on to its first land speed record for very long.
Koenigsegg factory driver Niklas Lilja set a world record Oct. 1, when he drove an Agera RS from zero to 400 kph (249 mph), then decelerated to zero, in just 36.44 seconds. That shattered the previous record time of 42 seconds, set by Juan Pablo Montoya in a Bugatti Chiron, but Koenigsegg amazingly wasn’t even planning to attempt the feat using an Agera RS.
The Swedish automaker wanted to wait and try to claim the zero-400-zero record with its 1,500-horsepower hybrid Regera, but one of its American customers insisted Koenigsegg use their Agera RS instead. What’s more, the Agera RS run originally was scheduled for Sept. 30 at Automotive Testing Papenburg in Germany — where Bugatti posted its time — but rain forced the manufacturer to quickly relocate to Vandel Airfield in Denmark.
It’s worth noting that Christian von Koenigsegg’s company didn’t just beat Bugatti’s record with its Oct. 1 run, it sent a clear message that it can compete with the giants of the supercar world — but not solely with respect to its cars’ performance.
Sending personnel and equipment to Denmark at the last minute, and canceling plans to ship them to Germany, might not sound like much, but for a company the size of Koenigsegg, it likely was a logistical nightmare.
