Koenigsegg’s world record 450km/h for its Agera RS hypercar

November 7, 2017 by Alastair Sloane

The world production car speed record looks likely to have changed hands again after the Koenigsegg Agera RS recorded a two-way average 450km/h (277.9mph) run on a closed public road in Nevada. See the video below.

The run, by the Swedish company’s test driver Niklas Lija, was over an 18km stretch of road between Las Vegas and Pahrump, a town about an hour’s drive from the gambling capital.

Lija’s speed was 20km faster than the existing mark held by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and around 12km/h quicker than the speed set by the Hennessey Venom GT. But the Hennessey did not make the record books as it was only achieved in one direction.

The Agera RS runs a 5.0-litre turbocharged V8 delivering 1030kW, or 1380bhp. Lija hit over 460km/h (284mph) in the first of the two runs.

All that remains is for the world speed record, recorded and verified by Racelogic, to be officially recognised.

How long the mark will stand for, however, is anyone’s guess. Henessey has just unveiled its new Venom F5 hypercar amid claims of a 486km/h (300mph) capability, and Bugatti has yet to put the Chiron to the test in anger.

Bugatti claims a top speed for the Chiron of around 425km/h but has hinted at a potential 500km/h. Michelin is working on a tyre capable of withstanding the forces generated at such speed.

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