Koenigsegg has confirmed that the company's One:1 hypercar is aiming to set a new lap record at the Nürburgring in the spring of 2015.
Thought that might have piqued your interest. Speaking to TopGear.com, company founder Christian von Koenigsegg admitted that judging by data already collected, a lap around a track as long and fast as the ‘Ring could result in a new record for road cars.
"Given the straight-line performance of our cars," he told TG.com, "many people believe they are straight-line rockets.
"Actually, this is the least of our priorities and focuses. The massive engine power [of the One:1] is nice to have, but far less important than mechanical grip around most tracks," he added.
Christian is proud of the ‘well sorted chassis' of the One:1, noting that because of the car's long wishbones, "allows for a very small track width deviation during wheel movements, in combination with one of the highest downforce numbers ever achieved on a road-going vehicle."
So this - and not the car's enormous 1340bhp power output - is the reason behind his confidence. "During our testing [at the Nürburgring], which so far has been for data collection and setup, we can already see the potential when comparing official data and videos from other manufacturers," Christian said.
You can see Christian's point; sure, the One:1 boasts huge power from its twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre V8, will go from 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds and top out at a theoretical 273mph, it boasts 600kg of downforce from that Le Mans-inspired rear wing, and a cornering force of 2G. That's... face meltingly grippy.
"As most people familiar with Top Gear know," Christian said, "the CCX held the Top Gear Power lap record for a long time. After eight years it is still in the top ten on the leaderboard, truly showing how much before its time it was.
"Since then our newest model has managed to shave off weight, drastically increase bottom end torque, top end power and braking performance. Then add new tyre technology and more than 500kg extra downforce to the equation, it is clear to see there is a great difference."
He's aiming for warmer weather next spring to have a go at the ‘Ring record. "The Nordschleife is a scary challenge. A lot can happen. Still when spring comes with warmer weather we will continue to test our cars at the Nordschleife to eventually be able to go for a hot lap and truly see what our cars are capable of," he told us.
Watch this space...
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