Koenigsegg Readies U.S.-Spec Supercars

Sweden’s Koenigsegg Automotive AB says it has begun building its first Agera RS supercar (pictured below) that will be street-legal for U.S. roads. The carmaker also plans to offer its upcoming Regara flagship model in the U.S.

Koenigsegg, which has primarily focused on markets in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, describes the U.S. homologation process is expensive and time consuming. The company will document the build of the first U.S. Agera RS on its Web site over the next six months and hopes to deliver the vehicle by mid-2016. A timeline for the Regara hasn’t been announced.

Koenigsegg unveiled the Agera RS at the Geneva auto show earlier this year. The carmaker has completed four of a planned 25-unit production run to date, and most of those vehicles have been sold.

The RS is powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine that produces 1,160 hp and can run on regular gasoline, according to the carmaker. The engine also can be modified for E85 ethanol fuel in some markets.

Aerodynamics improvements over other Agera variants include new side skirts, a front splitter, front winglets, hydraulic ride height adjustment, underbody flaps and a fully active rear spoiler. The latter provides nearly 1,000 lbs of downforce at 150 mph. Koenigsegg says the car can generate lateral acceleration of 1.75 Gs around corners.

The Regera will get a hybrid drivetrain that teams a twin-turbo V-8 with electric motors. The combination is expected to generate more than 1,500 hp and 1,475 lb-ft of torque. The car can reach 249 mph in just 20 seconds, which Koenigsegg says is more than twice as quick as a Bugatti Veyron.