The world of cars has a new top trump after the Koenigsegg Agera RS smashed the record for the world’s fastest production car.
The Swedish car maker snatched the crown off French powerhouse Bugatti on Saturday with two blistering speed runs down a highway in Nevada.
The Agera RS clocked an average speed of 277.9mph over the two runs, easily beating the 2010 record of 267.8mph that was set by a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.
Koenigsegg has claimed the title of fastest production car in the world after this Agera RS averaged a top speed of 277.9mph over two runs down a public highway in Nevada
On its first run the Koenigsegg registered a top speed of 271.2mph, beating the Veyron even while battling an incline and oncoming winds.
During the second run – going slightly downhill and with a favourable tailwind – the car clocked a top speed of 284.5mph, the fastest a production car has ever gone.
That record had been held by a Hennessey Venom GT which was recorded at 270.5mph in 2014.
Hennessey failed to take the speed record, however, because the car only completed one run and the title-holder is required to make two runs down the same stretch of tarmac in opposite directions.
The record is then an average of both speeds, to negate the effect of things like incline and wind speed.
Koenigsegg’s record is particularly impressive because it was completed not only in a production car, but down a section of public highway using ‘standard’ tyres.
On the second run, going slightly downhill and with a favourable tailwind, the Koenigsegg hit 284.5mph – which is the fastest a production car has ever gone
The previous record was held by French car maker Bugatti which set a benchmark of 267.8mph back in 2010 with a Veyron Super Sport (pictured)
The owner of the Agera had used his connection in the film industry to convince Nevada authorities to shut down an 11-mile stretch of Highway 106, which runs between Las Vegas and the town of Pahrump, Top Gear reports.
The test was then carried out using Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres which are the tyres the Koenigsegg is sold with and are authorised for use on the road.
Worryingly they are only guaranteed by Michelin up to 186mph, though Koenigsegg engineers were confident they would survive an extra 100mph on top of that.
Factory driver Niklas Lilja, who completed the run, said: ‘I wasn’t nervous. The only hesitation was over the tyres, as you always know that something could happen.
‘Driving the road at 100mph, it was very quiet and smooth. But at 280mph plus, it’s really quite bumpy.’
Asked what was next for the car, he added: ‘Of course we want to prove it’s quicker than anything else in the corners too.’