Swedish Supercar Goes From Zero-to-Fabulous-to-Zero in Record Time

Sweden's wildest supercar, the Koenigsegg One:1, just set the world record for start-and-stop speed, going from zero to 300 kilometers per hour (187 miles per hour) and back to zero in 17.95 seconds—3.24 seconds faster than the previous record,  set by an earlier model from the same company.

The feat was performed by the company’s test driver Robert Serwanski at a track in Ängelholm, southern Sweden.

And what has it got to do with Cars That Think? Well, we could point out that the test driver kept his hands off the wheel; the problem is, that was meant to demonstrate not self-driving prowess but rather stupendous braking stability. Or we could note that some brainy electronic controls are involved in mastering such monstrous megawattage. Or we could just let you feast your eyes on the test run:

The car—of which only seven will ever be built—is called the One:1, a name reflecting the power:weight ratio—one megawatt, which equals 1360 metric horsepower, versus 1360 kilograms. The megawatt metrics might lead you to conclude that it’s a Tesla-style electric car, but no, it gets its oomph from a good, old-fashioned 5.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 engine.

(By the way, even that weight comes in a round number, equivalent to just a shade under 3000 pounds. That way, those who think in English units can  talk about a 1:3 ratio.)

Also by the way, in one run emphasizing pure acceleration the driver, took the trouble to top out at 321.9 km/h—a shade of a shade more than 200 mph. A tip o’ the hat to Robert Sorokanich of Road&Track, who pointed this detail out.