Why Koenigsegg’s new 2,300hp hypercar changes everything

I've come to the Koig head factory in Sweden for an exclusive look around.

I'm going to explore the inner workings of this secret facility with Christian von Koig Heg. Together, we'll uncover how his company's unusual history led to its most powerful car, the 2,300

horsepower JRA. I'll even get to see a

horsepower JRA. I'll even get to see a brand new engine being tested, and I'll learn what's next for Koigseg. But

first, let's meet the man who started it all. I'm here with Christian von Koigseg

all. I'm here with Christian von Koigseg here at Koigseg in Angleh, Sweden. But I

want to start off with how it all began because back when you were 22, 1994, you found the company. I'm basically my final year at university. You're

starting a hypercar company.

>> You, what?

>> So, I, actually, started, my, first, company when I was 19 buying and selling plastic bags, uh, ballpoint pens, frozen chicken, trans just trying to make some money so that I could build a car. 3

years later, when I was 22, I had made a little bit of money. So I started and 2 years later I had a driving prototype that still drives around today.

>> He, makes, it, sound, like, a, fairy, tale beginning, but the truth was very different. Christian nearly lost

different. Christian nearly lost everything when a fire ripped through the first Koix Egg factory and just 2 weeks before the Geneva Motor Show. But

despite this, his team managed to complete the first CC8S prototype in time for the event and relocate to a nearby Air Force hanger. This used to be home to Sweden's famous Ghost Squadron

which is where Koix gets its iconic motto from, the show must go on. But

despite the rocky start, Christian did manage to save a few momentos from those early days, which he keeps in his office, and that's where we're headed next. This is the model I made back in

next. This is the model I made back in 1994 when I started the company. The

only reason why this exists is because it was lost in 1998 in the US and then it was uh kind of came it came up on a eBay auction like six, seven years ago and then I bought it back for peanuts.

But if it wouldn't have been lost and found, it wouldn't exist because it would have been lost in the fire.

>> Yes.

>> So, this, is, one, of, the, few, things, I, have from the early days.

>> But, Christian's, love, of, cars, goes, back much further than that. And it comes from a place I'd never have guessed. So

when I was uh about 6 years old, there was this stop motion movie from Norway called Pinch Cliff Grand Prix about a bicycle repairman who built this car. So

it's got a 12 L engine in the front.

It's got a rocket engine in the rear four-wheel drive. It runs on ethanol and

four-wheel drive. It runs on ethanol and it races against Can-Ams and Porsches and Ferraris and wins the race. My

father told me that when we went out of the theater, he I told him that I want to be like that bicycle repair when I grow up. I want to build a car like

grow up. I want to build a car like that. And Christian's dream is coming

that. And Christian's dream is coming true with the new Jimera, which is the most powerful car Koigseg has ever made.

And I was about to be one of the first people outside the company to see an actual production version being built.

But as we walked over to the factory floor, Christian had an admission to make.

>> I, recently, bought, my, first, a, few, years ago because all the money I ever made it was just put back in the company because that was my dream was not to drive my own car or have my own car. It

was to build cars.

>> Yes.

>> But, eventually, I, could, also, afford, to buy one. I bought a used one first.

buy one. I bought a used one first.

And that just shows like the commitment to the business. Everything is

reinvested.

>> Exactly., So, this, is, the, Jesco, production line. So here you have 10 stations. We

line. So here you have 10 stations. We

push the car forward a station every third day. So a little bit more than one

third day. So a little bit more than one car output per week on this line here.

Over there you have uh what we call PDT where we have test driving of the uh produced cars.

>> So, they're, checking, over, the, quality, of them before they go to customer and start them. And then we have wheel

start them. And then we have wheel alignment here. And then it kind of

alignment here. And then it kind of cycles a few times, checklist, checks everything, tighten things, and then polish it up like it had never been driven. Of course

driven. Of course >> as, we, worked, our, way, down, the, production line towards the JRA, I realized something. Most Koix owners will never

something. Most Koix owners will never see all the stunning details that go into their cars. And I think Christian might be missing a trick here. It's

quite interesting actually looking at your cars cuz when you you look at the three big like hyper car makers Bugatti, I think of Pagani, and I think of you guys, and you've all got this slightly different approach. And I say

Pagani is very much about like the design aesthetic. You see all the beauty

design aesthetic. You see all the beauty and stuff >> of, course.

>> And, you, guys, actually, have, like, similar levels of beauty. You just hide a lot of it away.

>> Yeah., It's, underneath, the, skin., I, mean, >> is, that, kind, of, Swedish?, Is, that, a Swedish mentality?

>> I, guess, it's, just, we're, equally, focused on everything, not only that.

>> Maybe, we're, going, to, show, it, a, little bit more in the future because there's so much beauty hidden underneath.

>> So,, this, is, interesting., Here, we've, got a much more finished car. And I like this color.

>> It's, beautiful.

>> Wow., our, finish.

We take no hostages. If you're used to looking at paint, you orange peel.

>> You, push, your, eye, along, that, surface.

>> There, is, no, orange, peel.

>> There, is, no, orange, peel., We, We, drive, our painters insane with our new Porsche.

>> It's, quite, orange, peel.

>> Look, at, I, mean, this, is, a, negatively curved surface. This is almost

curved surface. This is almost impossible. Positive are easy to make.

impossible. Positive are easy to make.

Then we have this very particular kix finish we call K&C. So if you run your hand up and down on this, you actually feel the fibers. So this is not only not lacquered,

>> it's, also, wet, sanded, away, the, thin, epoxy layer that comes from the production process that everyone else would keep.

It's the purest form of carbon fiber we can imagine. We do entire cars unpainted

can imagine. We do entire cars unpainted like this in KNC.

>> And, that, obviously, adds, cost,, doesn't it?

>> Yeah,, because, it's, it's, the, level, of perfection and craftsmanship is insane.

>> The, last, time, I, experienced, anything like this attention to detail was when I visited Toyota's GR factory in Japan where they build the GR Yaris. Koigseg

is obviously on another level, but there's something quite Japanese about Christian's approach to building cars.

And that wasn't the only thing, as I realized when he was showing me around a partially built Yes.

>> And >> I, notic, you, got, a, Seiko, watch, on.

>> Yes., Yes.

>> Do, you, like, Japanese, products?

>> I, do,, actually.

>> I, like, the, precision, engineering, of Japanese. I like Japanese cars. I like

Japanese. I like Japanese cars. I like

Japanese technology. Yeah.

>> What's, your, favorite, Japanese, car?, Uh,, I guess it's my MX5 Miata just because it was the first sports car I ever bought when I was 19 and I still have it after having sold and bought it three times over the years and always paid more to

buy it back. Still very little money, of course. I've had it for some years now

course. I've had it for some years now and I It's just memory lane. No power at all.

>> Yeah.

>> Uh,, six, NA.

>> Yeah., First, generation, black, car.

>> Do, you, still, drive, it, now?

>> Every, summer.

>> Mata, is, always, the, right, answer., I've

got an NB.

>> Right., Okay.

>> Jack's, got, an, NC.

>> Nice., Yeah,, we, we, have, we, have, actually Daniel, how many people have Miatas here in the 20 >> 20, have, Miatas, here?, Exactly., So,, it's, a very popular car.

>> But, the, new, JRA, is, about, as, far, removed from a Mazda MX5 as you can get. After

all, it has four seats, four-wheel drive, a twin turbo V8 engine, and a hybrid drive system that combined produces 2,300 horsepower.

>> Here, we, have, the, Jira, production, line where we are still mostly building test cars, but we have the first uh customer car on the line. first. The very first.

>> Okay., So,, if, you're, lucky, enough, to, be the very first customer of a JRA, here is your car. Is this one?

>> No,, not, this, one., It's, over, the, start, of the line.

>> So,, how, many, test, cars, do, you, build?

>> Depends., Depends., The, JRA, we, did, the biggest. I think there's like 15 test

biggest. I think there's like 15 test cars.

>> 15, test, cars., 300, production, cars., And

what do you do? Like many manufacturers they crush their test cars. Obviously

you >> No,, no,, no., We, we, uh, well, well, we, crash test them and eventually some of them we crush when they're completely beaten up.

But the test cars we try to keep for as long as possible as test cars and then we can revamp them into new nice cars eventually put them in a museum and eventually sell them to a collector or something like that depending on how many we have. Either this one or that

one is the first customer chassis. So

they're going on the line now. And we

manufacture the chassis right over here.

Oh, they're actually in the process of making one right now. So you can have a little look.

>> So, all, carbon, fiber, tub, from, axle, to axle. It's 65,000 Newton meters per

axle. It's 65,000 Newton meters per degree torsional rigidity. So, it's the highest of any car I've ever heard. The

stiffer chassis you have, the softer suspension you can have with the same degree of control. The reason why it's so stiff is because we have this huge opening with no B-pillar that we needed

to reinforce a lot for side crash because there's no B-pillar to help you.

So, we need to make this opening so stiff because it's the biggest opening on any production car in the world as you can see over there. And that ended up also making the monocco a little bit stiffer than even we thought we needed.

>> But, you, said, it's, the, biggest, opening, on any car >> on, any, passenger, car, >> production, car,, passenger, car.

>> Unless, you, have, vans,, sliding, doors, or anything like that >> cuz, you, get, in, through, one, door.

>> Yeah,, exactly., So, you, can, sit, in, the, in in the car in the showroom. So you you open the door, you can parallel park this far away from another car and you can jump in two 2 m persons or four actually, but from one side. Two 2 m

persons simultaneously without moving the seat with one door. And this is a great example of Christian's unusual approach to designing cars. He's more

like an inventor than a pure engineer.

And he loves to get involved with every single area of developing a new car including manufacturing parts that no other car maker would dream of. as I

found out when he showed me some fully built JRA prototypes.

>> Here, we, can, see, some, of, the, test, cars, of the JRA.

>> And, this, is, your, most, powerful, car, isn't it?

>> Yeah.

>> So,, you, make, a, lot, of, the, components yourself. So, then what about the where

yourself. So, then what about the where do you source the motor from? You don't

make that yourself, do you?

>> Uh, the, e-, motor, >> do, you?

>> Oh,, we, do?, Yeah.

>> What?, Okay.

>> We, we, don't, make, the, batteries.

>> Oh,, we, do., We, do.

>> We, don't, make, the, cells.

>> Okay., Yes.

>> The, cells, we, collaborate, with manufacturers. Sometimes they can adapt

manufacturers. Sometimes they can adapt them a bit to us but uh usually we can find something suitable that we then create our packs and modules and then we put our BMS, our cooling system, our safety systems. But the e- motor and

inverter we build absolutely from scratch.

>> We, wind, the, the >> We, wind, the, coil., We, I'm, happy, to, show you the production line. It's 5 minutes away from here in another building. So

we have a facility where we can produce 5,000 e- motors per year actually.

>> Are, you, a, bit, of, a, control, freak, Christian?

>> Uh, yes, >> I, think, so., Yeah., So, this, a, another, test car. So when you say test car, these are

car. So when you say test car, these are the ones that you're developing. So you

go out and test different components on them.

>> Yeah,, absolutely., We, do, endurance testing, we do winter testing. This one

>> so, it, all, go, back, together, again., You'll

get it on the runway, try a new part check something out, put some test part in, run it hard, take it out. So things

like that.

>> What's, the, quickest, that, recording, one of your cars? How many kilometers an hour?

>> 452 or 57.

>> Is, it, the, fastest, production, car, in, the world >> as, far, as, we, are, aware?, meaning, a, car that a customer can buy and drive and that's capable of that speed. The the

other uh brands record seems to be like a more of oneoff pre-production stuff that that you don't give in the hands of the owners.

>> It's, the, Yes, Absolute,, isn't, it?

>> Uh, no,, it, was, the, Agar, RS, actually.

>> Oh,, was, it?

>> Yes.

>> Still, the, AurCo Absolute we haven't proven the top speed of yet.

>> Right., It's, theoretical, then.

>> Yes., Okay., Uh, we, are, hoping, to, have, a tire capable of doing this in the near future. So that's kind of the thing

future. So that's kind of the thing we're waiting for to be able to prove how fast it can be. And this is why Koig keeps hold of so many prototypes like this Yesco Absolute. They're all being used to test new developments which

could be rolled out to customers months or even years after their cars have been delivered. But before we take a look at

delivered. But before we take a look at some of the incredible engineering that goes into these cars, I wanted to ask Christian some important questions. So

Christian, out of all the cars you've created, which is your favorite? Not

necessarily in terms of outright performance, the one that means the most to you?

>> I, get, that, question, quite, a, lot, and, and then I always start thinking about that that car is nice like this and that. I

did. But I think it's very simple. The

first one is absolutely not the best one and not the most beautiful or anything but it was the impossible becoming possible that made everything else possible. So therefore, I enjoy it the

possible. So therefore, I enjoy it the most.

>> Which, one, do, you, actually, own, though?

>> A, CCR., a, CC8 >> and, a, CC850 >> for, me., CC850., Yeah,, I, just, love, the look of it because I love the look of the CC8.

>> Yeah,, the, original., Yeah,, the, OG.

>> I, love, that., Attack, or, Absolute?

>> From, a, beauty, perspective,, Absolute, and practical as well since you can have luggage and it's a little bit more softly sprung around the track. Of

course, an attack, more downforce stiffer, and, and, if, if if, you, like, to, go to the track on the weekends and on the road on normal days, attack is maybe better. But this is amazing on the track

better. But this is amazing on the track as well. It's more driftable because you

as well. It's more driftable because you have less downforce. It's more softly sprung. So, it's super fun on a track.

sprung. So, it's super fun on a track.

You can look like a drift hero with it.

Obviously, the new JRA hasn't been designed to hit 300 mph like a Yes Absolute or smashlap records like a Yesco attack. Instead, it's a

Yesco attack. Instead, it's a technological flagship. It's basically

technological flagship. It's basically Koig Egg showing the world exactly what it's capable of. And one of the most unusual bits of tech developed for this car is a bizarre three-cylinder engine that Christian wanted to show me.

>> So,, where, are, we, now?

>> Now,, we're, in, hangar, 4,, which, is, one, of our two prototype hangers. And in this corner of the hanger, we have the free valve development department.

>> Almost, every, internal, combustion, engine ever made uses a cam shaft to control when the intake and exhaust valves open and close. But Koenigseg has developed a

and close. But Koenigseg has developed a new kind of engine that can independently control each valve using pneumatic hydraulic and electromagnetic actuators. These can

electromagnetic actuators. These can precisely control how much air enters the cylinder at any time, which means the valves themselves can replace the butterfly valves you get in traditional throttle bodies. And this means there's

throttle bodies. And this means there's absolutely zero delay when you hit the accelerator. Free valve engines also

accelerator. Free valve engines also have the potential to reduce emissions in a pretty unusual and quite violent way. We can turn the engine into a

way. We can turn the engine into a flamethrower at cold start with the help of the valve timing to heat up the catal catalytic converter like this. And 90%

of the emissions from a combustion engine comes the first 20 seconds before the catalytic converter is warm. So if

we can warm that up in 7 seconds instead of 20, you sort of half your emissions on a driving cycle. So here is a a test rig. So you have the actuators up here.

rig. So you have the actuators up here.

Yeah. So it's a 2 L 3-cylinder with 600 horsepower.

>> You, can, see, the, valves, in, there.

>> Yeah,, normal, valves., So, is, your, inlet?

>> Yeah.

>> Or, your, is, that, exhaust?

>> That's, that's, the, inlet, and, then, you have the exhaust here. Yeah.

>> So, then, you, then, you, get, rid, of, the, uh the chain drive or the belt drive. So

the engine is a little bit shorter as well. It looks like a straight six

well. It looks like a straight six because it has six pipes in the header manifold. And one pipe from each

manifold. And one pipe from each cylinder goes to one turbo and the other pipe from each cylinder goes to another turbo. So up to 3,000 RPM we only open

turbo. So up to 3,000 RPM we only open one exhaust valve and force all the exhaust gases to one small turbo. So we

get full spool up at 1,700 RPM. We have

600 Newton m at 1,700 RPM from a 2 L 3 cylinder engine. That's three valve.

cylinder engine. That's three valve.

>> Yes., Wow., That's, the, same, torque, as, a, 3 L twin turbo straight 6 in a new BMW M2 but 1,000 RPM earlier in the rev range.

So, this engine sounds like a win-win situation. But there's a catch. Despite

situation. But there's a catch. Despite

appearing in the original JRA show car Christian decided not to offer the free valve engine in the production version.

Instead, it's getting a 5 L V8. So, what

changed? Well, before we can answer that question, I wanted to learn a bit more about these incredible V8 engines. So

your first car had a Ford engine, didn't it?

>> Actually,, the, first, car, had, an, Audi engine.

>> The, absolute, first, one.

>> The, CC.

>> The, CC., And, we, hope, to, buy, engines, from Audi and they said yes first and then they said no after we built the car. And

then I found another engine in Italy, a flat 12cylinder boxer engine that we built the whole car around and put in.

But then I realized this uh modular platform from Ford overhead cam shafts modern. It was just a good starting

modern. It was just a good starting point I felt. Then we did our own connecting rods, pistons, uh cam shafts put supercharging on it, dry sumped it.

So like maybe it was 40 50% Ford parts and the rest very custom and we got out 655 horsepower the first homated one and then up to 800, but that was it for

that. So for the CCX, we started casting

that. So for the CCX, we started casting our own blocks and then our own heads and then we moved on from there. So

>> and, there's, something, special, about Haven't you got the lightest crankshaft or something?

>> Uh,, we, have, a, look, at, it, here., Uh,, yeah.

Yeah, that's correct.

>> So,, this, is, flat, plane.

>> This, is, flat, plane, for, the, esco., And

then we have uh our pistons here.

>> Got, to, show, you, the, piston, because, this is like this is attention to detail. No

one's going to see this, right?

Literally, no one is seeing that apart from the engineer.

>> And, uh, this, cornrod, is, quite, special, in its design. It's very lightweight

its design. It's very lightweight compared to its strength. And if you look here, I don't know if it's a bit tiny text to read.

>> Okay., So, there's, there's, a, little message on it. It's impossible to lead by following. Therefore, I am different.

by following. Therefore, I am different.

>> No, one's, seen, that, Christian >> apart, from, the, engineer.

>> So, Kings, is, famous, for, doing, things differently. How do you decide yes

differently. How do you decide yes we'll do that one? No, that's hairbrain.

We're not going to do that one. And

which what things have you said no to?

>> I, think, it's, it's, a, quite, fluid, process.

It's like one thing leads to another with the JRA. Like halfway down the development cycle of it, one engineer put the Yesco V8 in it. It didn't fully fit. But I kind of walked past and said

fit. But I kind of walked past and said "Hang on a second. How is that possible?

That should not fit there." Oh, it kind of does and it kind of doesn't. So, no

I can't unsee that. You know what? What

would that mean for the car? It's like

how is that even possible? And then we had developed the LST for the Yesco and started getting super fascinated of what a game changer that transmission was.

And then hang on a second. If we wrap this around and do this, we can make this most exciting car on planet Earth and it happens to be a four-seater and we just cannot not do that even though it means it will prolong the project a

bit. But Christian didn't make this

bit. But Christian didn't make this decision alone. First, he had to speak

decision alone. First, he had to speak to everyone who bought a build slot for the JRA to make sure they'd be happy getting a 5 L V8 instead of a 2 L 3-cylinder engine. And you know what?

3-cylinder engine. And you know what?

Almost all of them said yes. I wonder

why. But even though the engine was almost fully developed at this point Christian realized the entire layout had to be completely redesigned or else the whole V8 JRA project would be dead on arrival.

>> Hey, guys.

>> Hello.

>> So, here, we, can, uh, see, this, is, a, JRA, hot V engine. So the difference between the

V engine. So the difference between the JR and the ESC is that uh to squeeze in the V8 into the JRA, we needed to make it narrower. So we could not have the

it narrower. So we could not have the exhaust on the side here. So we flipped everything around, made new heads and changed a lot of things and put the exhaust up top and then a different kind of flush intake on the side to squeeze

it into the JRA. So the new heads, new intake, new exhaust, new dry sump, new turbos, new intercoolers, new controller, but the actual combustion chamber process is very similar and

timing. So fundamentally, combustion

timing. So fundamentally, combustion wise is very similar.

>> So, this, is, hooked, up, to, the, dynometer there, which is >> Yeah,, this, is, an, engine, brake, dynometer.

So we we can break up to 2,000 horsepower here. And what do you what

horsepower here. And what do you what you running this one on at the moment?

Is it? Yeah.

>> Let's, ask, I, don't, know., Uh, what, fuel, is inside now?

>> Currently, run, 95.

>> 95.

>> Just, this, is, standard., So, this, is, if you're filling up >> just, pump.

>> Just, pump, fuel.

>> And, are, you, about, to, run, it, up?

>> We're, about, to, start.

>> Yeah., Cool.

>> Timing, is, perfect.

>> They, want, to, see, a, a, graph.

>> Can, we, get, like, a, good, old, school, dyno?

>> 95, octane, graph.

>> Yes,, we, can, show, something., It, is, cold, so we'd have to heat it up first. So

>> So, let's, see, how, it, behaves., An, actual real cold start.

>> So, that's, the, fans,, the, extraction, fans.

Yeah.

>> Yeah., It's, okay.

>> But, in, the, production, car,, it'll, start much faster cuz you'll use the >> Yeah,, because, Well,, not, only, that,, here you have a big weight in the dyno. On

the Yasco and the JRA, there is no flywheel. So, it boom does this.

flywheel. So, it boom does this.

>> Oh,, yeah., There's, no, flywheel.

>> And, all, the, kind, of, funny, sounds, is, this kind of pipes and exhaust here rattling a bit. So

a bit. So >> so, we're, going to, let, it, warm, up., Yeah.

Then we're going to come back and we're going to plot a dino graph to see how much power is producing our normal 95 fuel.

>> While, we, waited, for, that,, I, wanted, to check out the workshops next door, which is where new prototype components are developed. And it's also where

developed. And it's also where Christian's team is literally reinventing the wheel.

>> So, here, uh, we're, coming, into, our, carbon fiber department.

>> This, is, where, you, test,, you, build, up, new parts. So what what are they doing here?

parts. So what what are they doing here?

For instance >> a, car, a, whole, carbon, fiber, wheel.

>> And, this, is, part, of, a, development,, is, it rather than production?

>> Uh, yeah,, let's, ask., Uh,, for, which, model is this?

>> Which, car?

>> Yes.

>> Uh,, am, I, allowed, to, say >> it's, a, new, one?, Okay., Yeah., No., Uh,, you can.

>> Exactly.

>> It, turns, out, this, new, wheel, design, was for the Koigseg Sedair Spear. I got to check out this lighter, more powerful version of the Yesco attack for myself a few months later at the official reveal.

But when I was visiting the factory, the whole project was completely top secret.

>> Yeah., Luckily,, it's, not, easy, to, see, what it looks like. It's a new wheel.

>> But, this, is, interesting., If, we're allowed to show, we can blur it out if we need to. How you have your buck that you're working round and then you're laying the carbon fiber layers on to produce the wheel. Then you'll take this metal bit out, obviously.

>> Yes.

>> How, long, does, it, take, to, to, make, one, of these?

>> Probably, three, or, four, days.

>> Three, or, So,, you're, working, on, this, for three or 4 days.

>> And, you're, basically, using, the, carbon fiber sheets, which >> they're, pre-cut, and, marked, here., You, can see. So, you have a certain order to put

see. So, you have a certain order to put them in.

>> And, how, often, do, you, have, to, go, back, and like, oh, I laid that one a bit wrong?

pretty often.

>> Really?

>> Yeah., It's, like, it's, such, a, low tolerance. So, it's like everything's

tolerance. So, it's like everything's need to be perfect.

>> So,, all, these, pieces, here, are, for, that individual wheel.

>> Correct., And, and, the, pieces, already, put on there, of course.

>> So,, how, many, pieces, in, total, make, up, a wheel?

>> 650, individual, carbon, fiber, pieces, going into one wheel over around 3 days from one operator. So, then you can count how

one operator. So, then you can count how many people we need to be to build our wheels.

>> Yes., And, you, can, see, that, this, one, piece is part of the spoke. So there's a few pieces for the spokes there. Look at

that. And you can see the design of it there. And this is for a secret car

there. And this is for a secret car that's not yet been revealed.

>> We, have, a, a, patent, for, this., We, call, it air core. So you can see this is a

air core. So you can see this is a cutout of a river wheel.

>> That's, it's, not, the, same, design,, but that's basically how >> same, principle, exactly., So, you, see, it's hollow inside here. Here you actually have the the wheel nut.

>> Yeah., So, we, clamp, the, wheel, nut, straight into the hollow carbon fiber which was deemed to sort of be impossible before we did it.

>> And, in, terms, of, like, longevity, of, these wheels compared to like a magnesium wheel, you know, you hit a pothole or something like how do they cope with that?

>> Metals, kind, of, fatigue, from, every, kind of input whether you're getting close to the stress limit or not while composite doesn't. So that's one thing. Secondly

doesn't. So that's one thing. Secondly

through pre-esting and real life testing, what we have noticed is that when you hit a pothole severe enough to dent your aluminium wheel to the point where all the air leaks out, nothing

happens to this. So therefore

inherently safer. But high strength and looking cool aren't the only reasons why Christian developed these wheels. The

biggest advantage they have over conventional alloy wheels is weight.

We're talking uh about 4 kilos lighter per wheel, 16 kilos lighter car, but then it's unsprung. So that means that when you hit the bump, you go back to to contact the ground quicker. So you can

also have softer suspension as a result.

But then you have the gyroscopics effect as well for steering. I mean, these are gyro spinning the counteract steering feel. So less mass means better steering

feel. So less mass means better steering field. On top of that, when you're

field. On top of that, when you're accelerating, you have to spin up all this mass. It's it's a flywheel. And

this mass. It's it's a flywheel. And

then when you push the brakes, you need to break down the the energy in the flywheel. So you get apart from the car

flywheel. So you get apart from the car being lighter, you get faster acceleration and shorter braking distance and better steering field and more contact to the ground due to the less mass.

>> So, when, people, are, like, buying, a, sports car, they might think I don't need magnesium. I don't need comic brakes.

magnesium. I don't need comic brakes.

I'm not taking it on track. I don't

actually the benefit will really benefit the how the car feels to drive just in situations.

>> I, mean, it, should, be, set, up, for, it., Of

course, the positive impact of performance and sensor input is massive.

So, if you care about that, it's a high value.

>> All, these, carbon, fiber, components, have to be cured in massive heated chambers called autoclaves. These heat up the

called autoclaves. These heat up the parts under high pressure, which makes them stronger, lighter, and gives them a better surface finish than a normal industrial oven. But this is where my

industrial oven. But this is where my tour of Christian's high-tech factory took a slightly unexpected turn. So

auto gloves. This one is kind of funny.

You know, autoclaves are in in the car industry seen as like the holy grail of manufacturing and the pinnacle and uh aerospace and so on. This this is a

rethreading uh uh tractor tire autoclaw from the 60s that we rebuilt and found in a scrapard.

>> You, found, it, in, a, scrapard.

>> Wow.

>> To, buy, a, new, autoclaw, of, this, size,, we have three of them in Spain. They're

around like €400,000.

I think with the rebuild and the scrap everything, this was around €150,000 euro when we had no money back in the day and it just worked fine. But if you look here, let's see, 1974.

>> Yes., Look, at, this, plaque.

>> So,, it, wasn't, for, carbon, fiber, obviously. It was for melting rubber.

obviously. It was for melting rubber.

>> Yeah,, exactly., So,, it's, it's, like, this super high-tech. In reality, it's also

super high-tech. In reality, it's also very similar to something very rudimentary.

>> I've, already, seen, how, Christian, likes, to engineer and build his own parts, often regardless of cost. But there are exceptions to this rule because an old tractor tire autoclave isn't the only piece of equipment he's repurposed over

the years.

>> I, can't, show, you, the, insides,, but, I, can show you the outsides of this.

So, this is our new US Viper system. So

>> US.

>> Yeah., With, the, CC850,, we, have, a, little bit lower glass than on previous car comparisons with and there are regulations for the sweeping area of the windshield wiper. And we actually for

windshield wiper. And we actually for many many years there was one standard component we kept on using because it was so good and that was the Mercedes style kind of old school style reaching out windshield wiper. And a lot of

people recognize oh that's from Yeah, it is. It's a fantastic one. Highspeed

is. It's a fantastic one. Highspeed

autobon approved. Uh works really well.

But eventually that didn't do the trick to reach out the full area that we needed for our modern cars. So here we have developed a completely new one inhouse with some very special gearing

in here that I can't show because we're doing some patents on that which makes this become shorter and longer than any

other Viper in the world.

>> Right., Yes., It, reaches, out, to, do, the corners but on your hand >> you, can, see, how, far, it, reaches, out there. You see, that's crazy. This

there. You see, that's crazy. This

stretch from here to here, a thing you don't think about, but it's a pretty big undertaking to make it happen, to have this biggest ratio from short to long and make it swipe and be lightweight.

>> But, then, we, got, word, that, the, JRA development engine was finally ready for its dyno run.

>> We're, hot, now.

>> We're, hot.

>> Can, Can, we, have, the, door, a, little, bit open even though we shouldn't?

>> Yeah., Yeah,, we, can.

>> At least, one, door.

>> It's, just, more, fun, with, a, little, bit, of noise.

And this engine is not let's say put there to show maximum power at the moment. It's tuning kind of emissions

moment. It's tuning kind of emissions and drivability parameters and so on.

But you will see what it will do today and which will not be its highest number possible. But interesting to keep in

possible. But interesting to keep in mind 95 octane fuel >> right >> even, on, this, fuel, we, can, go, higher, like we do on the ESCO.

>> Okay., Are, you, ready?

>> Let's, do, a, pull, then.

>> 22000.

>> See, the, drum, dry, sump, tank, there, on, the side. So, we have the windows to see

side. So, we have the windows to see what's going on. That's the same tank as in the car >> in, the, Jamro.

>> There, we, go.

So, that was a pool. I think it was over 1,00 horsepower.

>> You, can, check., Yeah,, this, was, about,50 horsepower.

>> And, that's, on, 95.

>> So, when, you're, running, it, fully,, what, do you anticipate it will do on 95?

>> So, I, mean, the, Yesco, uh, we, are, up, at 1270. So this has slightly smaller

1270. So this has slightly smaller turbos. So uh which means the boost be a

turbos. So uh which means the boost be a little bit earlier.

>> So, I, would, say, over, 1200, at, least.

>> That's, the, target., Yes.

>> The, orange, one, is, our, torque, curve.

>> So, you're, getting, to, peak, torque, about there. 2 and 12 RPM we hit, 100 Newton

there. 2 and 12 RPM we hit, 100 Newton meters.

>> And, which, is, your, power, curve?, This.

>> So, then, the, green, one, is, a, power, curve.

>> Okay.

>> So, here, we, hit,50, horsepower, at, 7, and, a half.

>> So, we, have, a, little, bit, more, headroom which we are still under development.

>> Right., So, you're, going, to, get, this, this this a power curve the green going a bit more like that.

>> Correct., Okay., You're, still, developing the engine now before they go to the customer.

>> You're, correct., I, mean,, we, keep, on, doing this even to Yesco engines and other engines to to run them over time to put even more mileage on in for service to see what happens. So, this this is kind of endless work.

>> And, this, development, doesn't, just, apply to Koix's V8 engines. Christian applies

the same rigger to testing the electrical components in the brand new JRA. However, these require a completely

JRA. However, these require a completely different type of dyno.

>> So,, this, is, a, JRA, four-wheel, drive drivetrain in our chassis dyno. So we

can test and develop the whole drivetrain without having the car in the way. We can go in and have a little

way. We can go in and have a little look. It's pretty

look. It's pretty >> pretty.

>> Do, you, test, like, once, the, car's, all, put together or beforehand the customer cars and their power output and their performance on these systems?

>> Yes,, we, we, run, each, uh, customer, engine on uh the production dyno. Then we test each car on the airfield up to 300 km/h with full braking. Like our competitors

they do the same, but we jokingly say we only deliver used cars. Yes. So that's a question for you. When you buy a new car, there's this running period which is it's one good thing about EVs. There's no real running period again.

You can just enjoy it. If you've done like 300 km an hour and you've tested it on the dyno, do you need to run the car in or is it running?

>> If, you, really, want, to,, you, can, just, go for it, but recommend easing into it a bit for for many reasons.

>> Yeah., I, would, imagine, that, quite, a, lot of your customers are quite impatient.

>> Right., Right., Sure., I'm, sure, you messing. Exactly. So here you can

messing. Exactly. So here you can actually see our e- motor, the black thing there. Yep.

thing there. Yep.

>> And, that's, our, six,, it's, a, six-phase motor, and it has a raxial flux technology that we have patented, which is a combination of axial and radial.

Essentially, this motor has a core that's driven by magnetic fields arranged in two different orientations instead of just one like a conventional motor. This is complex to design and

motor. This is complex to design and difficult to build, but it has one big advantage. The end result is that when

advantage. The end result is that when we compare this motor to uh what we know is out there, we have uh the highest torque/ power density for weight and size.

>> So, it, allows, you, to, have, a, lot, of, power in a small >> smaller, lighter, package.

>> Cuz, that, is, small.

>> Yes.

>> And, how, much, horsepower, is, that delivering?

>> That's, 800, horsepower, and, 1250, Nm, of torque >> in, that, little, disc, in, that, little, black disc there.

>> And, what's, the, weight, of, that?

>> Uh, that's, 39, kilos., So,, this, tiny, motor produces more power and over 500 new meters more torque than you get in a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ's naturally

aspirated V12, but it weighs 85% less than that big 6.5 L engine. And

Christian has big plans to make these motors even better. But before we get into that, there's something else groundbreaking about the JRA's drivetrain that's on show here. Rather

than active differentials, it uses separate hydraulic clutches to split the power between all four wheels. And this

allows it to do something very special.

>> So, this, is, the, first, time, in, a, world, on any drivetrain where you can run a four-wheel drive car with four-wheel torque vectoring in EV mode from one e- motor.

>> And, you, can, do, the, same,, right?

>> You, can, run, four-wheel, drive,, four-wheel torque vectoring without using the e- motor from only the combustion engine with nine gears.

>> Or, you, can, you, can, use, them, together doing all of that. It's a reduction of parts compared to anything else we've seen. So, it's sort of giving you the

seen. So, it's sort of giving you the benefit of having individual hubmounted motors.

>> Exactly., But, with, one, motor.

>> With, one, motor, or, the, combustion, engine if you don't want the motor. You don't

have an accountant going, "Don't do that, do you?"

>> No, >> I, can, tell.

>> But, he, would, be, happy, because, we, saved three e- motors.

>> That's, true.

>> But, this, is, just, the, first, generation, of what Christian calls the dark matter motor. The next generation is already

motor. The next generation is already being developed behind this particularly scary looking door. heavy magnetic

field, electric shock. So, no pacemaker.

There's some secret sources in here. So

we might have to edit the video. That's

fine.

>> But, just, give, a, little, glimpse.

>> Okay., Yes,, let's, do, it.

>> Of, what's, going, on, here.

>> It's, a, lab, where, we, create, prototypes.

Sixphase inverter. Here are parts for that. These are kind of internals of the

that. These are kind of internals of the motor. It's kind of a

motor. It's kind of a thing of beauty as well. So, I find this equally interesting as combustion engines or transmissions. It's so much still to do in this field. When you get into it, you see, hang on a second. We

can use our carbon fiber knowledge to do things no one seems to do where you can shrink and make more compact and more powerful and more efficient.

>> Is, this, forged?

>> Uh,, this, is, machined.

>> So,, it's, all, machined, out, of, a, billet.

>> Yeah,, exactly., And, the, reason,, I, mean, if we would continue with aluminium, we would cast it, but we're going for carbon forging instead to make the world's first full carbon fiber motor.

>> And, the, benefits, of, that, are, weight.

>> Yes,, weight., But, is, it, also, a, little, bit because we can?

>> Yes.

>> Right.

>> However,, this, can, do, attitude, comes, with its own problems. It's clear that Koigseg is capable of making a fully electric car. But should it? Bugatti

electric car. But should it? Bugatti

delayed this decision under the leadership of Mate Rimac. And Horatio

Pagani told me there simply isn't the demand for an electric Pagani either. So

I had to put this question to Christian.

When do you think you're going to build an electric hypercar? Will it would be when you absolutely have to because there's no other choice. I I I thought we probably would have done it by now and that's why we started a quite big department for electrical propulsion

development but then we realized that the customer really enjoys the combustion engine and if we focus on renewable fuels and efficient packaging and lightweight we can make a fantastic

mixture where we actually benefit from the hybrid drive for the excitement and enjoyment like in the Jira here and make uh worth of the investment and prepare us for the future when we maybe really

need to do only EVs but who knows. Mhm.

>> And, in, the, meantime,, we'll, just, have, fun with it. So, uh, that's kind of where

with it. So, uh, that's kind of where we're at with it. It's a bit of a hedge.

>> Yeah., Yeah.

>> And, making, sure, the, car, benefits, from, it in the meantime.

>> I, was, beginning, to, understand, why, the JRA costs around $2.7 million or over £2 million. But there's another reason that

million. But there's another reason that I only started to grasp when Christian showed me the facility that actually builds Koix Egg's incredible motors.

>> So,, this, is, our, e-, motor, production line. This facility doesn't run non-stop

line. This facility doesn't run non-stop because if we did two shifts here, we can do 5,000 motors per year and we don't have that need at the moment. But

we have a lot of interest from outside parties when they're looking for maximum power and torque density to size and don't care about price then they can come to us.

>> Also,, this, kind, of, comes, back, to, like the price of the cars. Part of what you're paying is this to be standing still >> as, well., Of, course., Yeah,, you, are., If

you want in the car, you need this this unit and output volumes are low. So, at

times you're paying for a machine in a normal production facility that is working >> all, the, time., Of, course., Of, course.

Yeah, that that's true. And this is uh let's see if I can open this up. Again

no uh pacemaker here. This is a >> rotor, magnetizing.

>> Yeah., I, don't, know, how, to, open, this actually. Uh I shouldn't touch it. It's

actually. Uh I shouldn't touch it. It's

a hollow car.

>> So,, this, is, the, rotor.

>> We, used, our, wheel, technology, to, make this hollow.

>> Okay., Yeah., So, it's, the, magnets.

>> These, are, the, magnets.

>> These, are, the, magnets., And, this, bit spins.

>> Yes.

>> Hence, the, name, rotor., You, see?, Okay.

>> And, this, is, mag, after, this, is manufactured, it's magnetized here.

>> Okay., Cutting, edge, dark, matter, motors aren't the only things built in this new facility. Koigseg is still making new

facility. Koigseg is still making new parts for some of its oldest cars as part of the legends division, which is also where Christian keeps some of his most important models in the brand's

history. That's an a Giraa drivetrain.

history. That's an a Giraa drivetrain.

Here you actually have the engine part of the chassis. So this is bolted to the monok and that's the actual dry sump frame of the engine.

>> So, this, was, someone's, car.

>> This, is, kind, of, a, spare, part, the, rear end right?

>> Basically.

>> Might, it, be, needed?

>> Who, knows?

>> But, you, built, it.

>> Yeah,, exactly.

>> So, how, do, you, end, up, building, this, extra one? Was it a plan or is it

one? Was it a plan or is it >> No,, it, kind, of, came, about, out, of, uh having parts, having time, making use of it, making a spare part kit kind of thing, something like that.

>> But, it, may, never, get, used.

>> Could, be., This, is, the, first, ever Reggera. It is actually light blue. You

Reggera. It is actually light blue. You

might have seen it was on the Geneva Motor Show in 2014. It just got wrapped matte black for this year's Kenigseg tour because it is a film car and we don't want it to reflect too much in what we're photographing.

>> So, you, use, this, as, like, the, what, we, call the tracking car.

>> Yes.

>> Obviously, need, to, film, a, Koigse, egg., You

need a Koenigse egg >> to, keep, up.

>> Yeah., And, so, you, have, it, all, in, matte black so it doesn't reflect.

>> So, this, is >> it's, quite, the, tracking, car., Here's, an example of some of our tracking cars.

>> It's, quite, nice, interior, for, a, tracking car.

>> Yeah,, it's, all, right,, isn't, it?

>> We, built, this, in, 2014,, so, it's, 10, years old now. 2 years ago, it set a new world

old now. 2 years ago, it set a new world record 8 years after its creation with the record of this one since it's the same model.

>> Well,, Christian,, thank, you, very, much, for showing us around. I mean, really impressive, really enlightening, and giving us this exclusive access. I mean

it's absolutely fascinating. And to hear the story of how back in 1994, this this dream and here we are now. Unbelievable

for me even I guess when I think about it >> and, looking, forward, to, seeing, like, the these the future cars and what happens next.