G E A R E D - I N

Ice cool Sweden: best known for Ikea furniture, reindeer jerky, super models and sensibly handling wagons.  This is definitely the last place you’d expect a bat-out-of-hell supercar to come out of.  Well, believe it or not, the speed bug has actually bitten this Nordic nation.  It is the proud home to the fastest car currently in production: the Koenigsegg CC.

Unveiled at the 2000 Paris Motorshow, the Koenigsegg CC immediately created industry buzz with its on-paper specifications.  With just a 1100-kilogram curb weight, the CC is powered by a mid-longitudinally mounted supercharged 4.6-liter quad-cam V8 with an unearthly 650 bhp and a maximum pulling power of 750 Nm.  These figures easily equate to a power-to-weight ratio of 0.59 bhp per kilogram and a 0-100 km/h acceleration figure of 3.20 seconds, reaching the quarter-mile mark in 10 seconds at 217 km/h.

Though the 90-degree V8 engine had ‘humble’ beginnings underneath the Ford Mustang Cobra SVT, Koenigsegg engineers contracted Teksid—the major supplier to the Ferrari Formula One team, to develop a unique light-weight aluminum block and cylinder heads.  This was strengthened by combining it with a forged crankshaft developed by the German firm, Gerlach Werke.  The use of carbon fiber, titanium and aircraft-specification aluminum made the engine a feat in light-weight terms: it weighs only 240 kilograms.

In addition to developing new engine components, Koenigsegg employed the use of dry-sump lubrication, allowing lower engine frames and thus reducing the car’s center of gravity.  Moreover, this allowed the engine to run at high speeds with high levels of safety.  They dry-sump system also incorporates a Formula One-style Setrab oil cooler.  To guarantee that no overheating problems would overcome the Koenigsegg CC, carbon fiber ducts and end-tanks connected to a larger intercooler was used.

Making the most out of the supercharged V8 is the Koenigsegg CC’s 3-inch stainless steel exhaust system with equal length step tube headers and merged fire-cone collectors with four metal catalytic converters.

Mated to the powerplant is a specially developed 6-speed transaxle manual gearbox by Cima.  It incorporates the orbital shift mechanism, a system wherein the gear stick is allowed to be mounted on a ball or socket, giving more counter-balance and light-weight, tactile feedback to the driver compared to the standard gate system.  The gearbox itself features its own internal oil pump and oil cooler so that it could take the engine’s brutal force.  The final gear ratio is calculated to propel the Koenigsegg CC close to 400 km/h at the engine’s red line of 7,300 rpm.

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