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I noticed
that security at Heathrow was a lot more “visible”
this time. So I didn’t nick anything at the duty free
shops…:)
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A quick
flight to Copenhagen, a quick train ride in the wrong direction
to Malmo, and a longer train ride back to Helsingor and I was
almost there. It was very warm and I stayed up all night, (chatting
with some Iranian hotdog vendor who had been deported from Canada
and a couple of drunk American teenagers) and pacing the very
clean and empty streets of this small Danish port city. I caught
the ferry to Helsinborg on the Swedish side the next morning.
Christian
von Koenigsegg was kind enough to pick me up and drive me to
the factory in his BMW 740i, which feels like a limo in Sweden.
The first thing I saw at the factory was a Koeningsegg development
car sitting there—it’s done over 60,000 km, just like the high-mileage
XP5 at McLaren.
The car's roof stows under the front bonnet and is easy to remove.
It is very flat, so it still leaves
some room for storing other items.
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The seats
are padded with Tempur, an extremely comfortable sponge that
conforms to the shape pressing on it. It’s typically used
in mattresses and pillows and is very, very relaxing to rest
against. So the carbon-fibre seats are super-comfortable, even
with minimal padding.
Every
item is painstakingly machined. The centre console is intelligently
designed. For instance, you have to press two buttons simultaneously
to start it. This avoids the starter being triggered accidentally
when someone is fiddling with the window controls which are
also within the same dial.
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Here
you can see the showroom area--there’s an eclectic mix
of cars for sale. Apparently there’s a dealership on the
premises. And from above you can see how all the lines of the
Koenigsegg car flow into each other. The factory offices are
upstairs, and even the rough sketches in the designer’s
officer were exquisite.
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Downstairs,
this red car was being readied for an attempt at smashing the
McLaren’s record for fastest production car in the world.
It's also the one I drove! It will be going to Nardo in late
August/September
2002.
Most of the engine is milled in-house,
using state-of-the-art techniques. Just look at the connectors
for the oil lines at the bottom of the engine (in blue). It
is assembled by an experienced ex-aircraft mechanic, and you
only have to see him torque one nut to understand that this
is the best-built car in the world. That open book is a manual
full of color photographs and detailed specifications--very
nicely done.
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This
is a black car with many carbon-fibre parts showing. It is bound
for Germany. Even the battery has been split
into two and located centrally to help in centralizing the mass.
Attention to detail is absolutely fanatical. That’s a
lot of protective tape in the second picture. Third picture
shows Christian Koenigsegg. If a carbon fibre look is desired,
the quality is so high that it just needs a few layers of clearcoat.
But this car is going to be painted black for the most part.
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So here’s
how they make the car. Cut some prepreg carbon fibre according
to patterns.
Lay it on the moulds, attach bobbins, and allow it to cure in
the autoclave under high pressure and temperature.
Then put it on the jig to and cut/drill the holes for wiring
and hoses. Then paint it, and attach the other subsections using
the bobbins which are now hardened in place.
Next,
roll the whole thing it into the assembly room and put in the
seats, wiring, engine, transmission, suspension, wheels, tyres,
trim items. Finished!
Second picture above shows the molds. 3rd and 4th shows some finished diffusers
and a couple of chassis main tubs (behind the molds).
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Because
the carbon fibre is so rigid, the steel is used as a crush zone
to dissipate crash energy. Inside, there is padding on the centre
console so humans don't get hurt by hitting the hard carbon
fibre.
Note the transverse mounted shocks. They were specially developed
by Ohlins for this car, and they are perfect. It drives smoothly,
and yet the ride is taut but not harsh at both low and high
speeds. One ride in this car and you will understand why Ohlins
shocks are the best.
That’s
the master mechanic with his apprentice.
Final
picture shows the complex door hinge. The gears create an outward
and rotational motion and that’s exactly what the door
does when it’s bolted on and opened. It’s all spring
loaded and damped and assisted, so it looks and feels effortless.
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That’s
the cooling oil distribution lines, and behind it and slightly
obscured is a very elegalntly machined anti-rollbar stiffness
adjuster. Note the quality of the welding on
the seams. Perfection. 3rd and 4th pictures are taken in the upstairs
storage areas. The gantry type thing you see is a huge 3-d scanner. And that’s a boxer V-12 they experimented with before
settling on the supercharged V8 design.
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There’s
all sorts of intriguing development stuff on the walls and in
the boxes everywhere!
Experimental prototype is the silver car in the showroom. The
blue chair is in the conference room upstairs, and we just don’t
have windows like that in America! The whole factory had a very
nice, informal, loft feel to it!
4th picture shows how meticulously neat and tidy everything
is.
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Each
air line and plug point also has a vacuum line so there is virtually
no dust. People clean up as they work!
2nd picture is the jig that’s used to drill and cut
out the chassis.
3rd shows the carbon fibre cloth
used in some areas. Resin is spread over this, hence this technique
is known as wet layup. But the proper F1 stuff comes pre-impregnated with
resin and epoxy that react at certain temperatures to cure to
their ultra-hardness. That stuff has to be kept frozen until
used and is called prepreg. 4th picture shows the molds on which
the prepreg is laid out and then allowed to cure in an autoclave
under high pressure and temperature.
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Christian
Koenigsegg and I took this car for a spin. It was simply amazing.
The
most amazing thing about this car is the handling. Absolutely
the best I have ever experienced. It is very easy to retain
control, even when it starts sliding. Memorable highlights included
a controlled slide around a roundabout and a doing tight weaving
on a two-lane road at 90 mph. The car can handle
1.4 g’s. See the videos at
the end of the next page to get an idea...but please don't stream
them. Just right-click and select Save As...
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An
awesome experience and definitely one of the highlights of my life!
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It took
a couple of minutes to get used to the clutch and I stalled
it a couple of times trying to pull out smoothly. But once I
got used to the car, it was a piece of cake. It’s a complete
doddle. And faster and better handling than just about any car
I have ever driven or been in.
When we got back we parked it outside to take some shots.
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I tried
to get as many details as possible. You might find this section
a bit tedious.
The door does protrude significantly in the open position, so
if there is a wall or high curb, the car will have to be parked
one foot away, which is not too bad against a curb, and not
really an issue against a wall, since you need that much room
to get out anyways.
The factory is in a very informal, farm-like setting.
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When
the front bonnet opens, the side windows roll down so there
is no danger of the bonnet hitting them if the doors are open.
This
was a good chance to see what magazine photographers do to get
the best shots of interiors, wheels, brakes, etc. Either you’re
too far to see detail, or you’re too close to see everything.
But looking down and diagonally across seems capture most of
the details. The
gear lever has not gaiter. It’s a very tight and elegant
bearing and helps with the precise shifting mechanism without
necessitating a gate. And the stone in the top of the lever
is a lapis
lazuli with the flag of Sweden painted on.
Fourth pic: Thank god I didn’t
use a black camera—they’re obviously not allowed!
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3rd picture is of a very perfect
“under the staircase” parking spot for a forklift!
More immaculate assembly facilites. (Update: Due to the
disastrous fire in early 2003, the factory has now relocated
to an abandoned airbase located nearby. I can only imagine the
high-speed testing they do there!)
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Diffuser
and venturis underneath the car are very effective.
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Some
detail on the aero effects. And impeccable fit and finish. Shield-shaped
pedals.
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Hinge
mechanism. Cooling air intake for the brakes, which are custom AP Racing
jobbies.
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Big
disc. Freezer for storing prepreg carbon fibre. Carbon layup room.
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Oil painting done by
Christian’s
brother-in-law. -->
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Roll
of carbon fibre. Administrative offices and conference room upstairs
(designers and engineers
sit on opposite side of same floor).
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Another cool painting.
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Engineering
and design offices. Everyone was away on summer hols. That maroon lamp-like
thing
is actually a 3-d scanner which coverts
3-d objects into CAD drawings.
Very cool.
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Design
and doodles on the walls.
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The car—it’s
just gorgeous. Morgan 8 ECU—I am guessing it’s
what the Koenginsegg uses, but I
don’t know. Both cars have V8s, the Morgan using a BMW
M5 powerplant, and the Koenigsegg using a supercharged V8 developed
in-house. The ECU was just lying there and might have been an
evaluation unit.
The centre console controls just
about every function and is very cool, lit from behind by LEDs.
And that’s the Electronics wizard who designs all the
electrical stuff—I suggested a couple of things and he
said, “yeah, no
problem, that’s easy” to all of them—how cool
would it be to have someone like that working for
you.!
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