Koenigsegg Turns Up the Pressure in Geneva with CCX

By Feann Torr & Motoring Channel Staff- 3/Mar/2006

The 2006 Geneva Motor Show had it's share of super cars, but few were as visually striking or demonically quick as the Koenigsegg CCX.

Like all good super cars, the engine beats away in its shiny engine bay situated right behind the driver - a 4.7-litre V8 with twin superchargers built in-house by the Swedish company. 

And what would a super car be without an expensive suit? The body is made of carbon fibre and the Swedish car's terminal velocity is well over 300km/h.

In fact, the new CCX - or Competition Coupe X - is capable of reaching 245mph, which is about 394km/h in the metric scale -- quick enough to out pace some aircraft, in the off chance you end up being chased by a Sandpiper or a Cessna.

The CCX generates its initial punch from the pair of superchargers that drive more air into the engine as revs rise, with a peak of power rating of 601kW @ 6900rpm (or about 806 horsepower).

Torque is equally destructive, with 919Nm exerted on the crankshaft @ 5700rpm, all of which helps the Swedish super car to reach 100km/h from rest in mind-numbing 3.2 seconds.

Featuring a custom-built 6-speed gearbox and heavy duty limited slip differential (LSD), the CCX slams down a standing quarter-mile time of 9.9 seconds at 146mph (235km/h) and looks as though it was sculpted for one purpose, and that is to cut through wind. With a drag co-efficient of 0.30, and featuring bodywork channels underneath the car that help improve negative lift at speeds of over 200km/h, the CCX is about as slippery as they come.

Koenigsegg reveals that the CCX was built for two purposes: it has been re-engineered to comply with the US regulation and market demands and marks the 10th anniversary of the completion and test drive of the first CC maiden prototype, which rolled out from the R&D department in 1996.

Still, it has been a key issue for the Koenigsegg Team to keep the distinctive and record braking CC shape intact - the company is a firm believer in the idea of continuity. Koenigsegg is of the opinion that it is important to avoid trends and instead hone the aerodynamic shape of the CC range for the future, only enhancing its unique look and appearance with tighter lines and a more aggressive stance.

The Koenigsegg CCX features a completely new set of body and interior parts when compared to its forebear, the CCR. The body incorporates a new front bumper design, including enhanced brake cooling, fog lamps and US side position lights, and the front lamps have been slightly redesigned to suit the new bumper line as well.

There is a new scoop on the front bonnet as a larger fresh air-intake for the occupants and new air vents have been added behind the front wheels in order to further evacuate air from the cockpit. The frontal shape revisions now allow for effective track use options to be added, which should please its well-heeled clientele.

The car is 3.4 inches longer in order to comply with the US rear impact regulations and in order to free up space around the rear muffler. The rear clamshell now features a glass window over the new CCX engine, clearly showing off the bespoke and unique Koenigsegg engine block casting and there are further 2 inches of space in headroom, which the company claims makes the CCX the most spacious super car on the market.

In corporation with Sparco, and Koenigsegg test driver Loric Bicocchi, Koenigsegg has developed a new seat design for the CCX. The structures of the seat are still carbon fibre, but now fully padded front surface and a tilting backrest.

Koenigsegg says that the optional 382mm front discs are coupled to 8-piston calipers and in the rear the 362mm size is retained with 6-piston calipers. The optional industry-first carbon fibre wheels save another 3kg or 6.6lbs per wheel compared to the already lightweight magnesium wheels that come as standard.

Between the raised speedster bumps there is a new type of vortex generator implemented as a Ram Air engine booster by Christian Koenigsegg on the CCX. Due to the fact that there is a fresh air intake right below the rear window, the vortex generator redirects the air directly into the air intake and thereby creating a positive pressure in the air box.

Changes to the V8 engine were in order to comply with Californian emission regulations, where new cylinder heads with larger valve area and more optimally flowing cylinder head ports were used. Dual smaller injections per cylinder were integrated, as well as new camshafts, a new carbon fiber individual runner intake plenum, a new engine management system, updated fuel and EVAP system.

The Koenigsegg engineers also incorporated the most powerful internal piston coolers in the industry - bringing down the piston temperature by as much as 80% more than competing systems, which was a must in order to run high cylinder pressure with 91 octane fuel.

Koenigsegg is unique among low volume super car manufacturers, because it engineers the engine completely in-house, and also it's vehicles are built, assembled, and dyno tested in the Koenigsegg production plant.