SolidWorks Creates a Supercar

SolidWorks used in design of the Koenigsegg, a car capable of going over 240 miles per hour

by Roopinder Tara, Editor, TenLinks, February 14, 2006

Forget Ferarri. Lose the Lamborghini. Koenigsegg is the supercar you’ve always wanted and just never knew it. It’s not a name that rolls off your tongue but you had better practice because when you are asked what you will do with your lottery winnings (providing the taxman leaves you with at least $600,000) you will want to say it. The Koenigsegg is the fastest production car in the world. And you can have it in as little as 3 months.

The Koenigsegg supercar on display at SolidWorks World 2006. (much better pictures on the Koenigsegg site)

Christian von Koenigsegg, for whom the car is named, rolled the supercar into the Caesar’s Palace, the scene for SolidWorks World 2006. Although we were cautioned that SolidWorks is not getting into the automobile business, most of the Koenigsegg underneath the skin was designed with SolidWorks.

I attended a presentation by Mr. Koenigsegg. Here are some highlights.

• Mr Koenigsegg tells us he made his initial fortune buying frozen chicken in Chattanooga and selling it in Estonia. He lived on “noodles for several years” during the early years. His supercar project started in 1993. Production started in 2000 and Koenigsegg now produces 30-40 cars a year.
• "What is in front of you is already history." This means driving the car at a top speed of 240 mph, everything the driver sees in front of him will be covered before he can react to it.
• The car is on record as having the ticket for the highest speed in the United States. It was clocked at 242 mph in the illegal cross country Gumball Rally. “We didn’t know it could go that fast,” said Mr. Koenigsegg
• Lamborghini is not considered a supercar. The Koenigsegg is. Though there is no hard definition, supercars are defined as having high horsepower, low weight, low aerodynamic drag, high top speed -- and probably a very high price tag.
• The car is produced in a fighter jet facility in Sweden, home of SAAB aircraft. Its long runways are ideal for testing of the cars.
• Koenigsegg makes its own engine. The car we saw produced all 600HP while displacing only 4.7 liters.
• The coefficient of drag is under 0.30. Even the internal aerodynamics are so good, Koenigsegg claims, that there was no difference between when the air intakes were closed or open for wind tunnel testing.
• After being subjected to a side crash test, the carbon fiber door popped back into shape and opened normally. The mechanism for the door is “the most complicated hinge ever.” http://www.koenigsegg.se/thecars/design.asp?design=4 
• Gas mileage on the highway is equal to a Mercedes S class. However, at top speed, you can empty the gas tank in 7-8 minutes.
• Modular construction of the car allows redesign to be confined to distinct areas.

Footnotes

1. http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/car-and-driving/ferrari-enzo-1003531.html 

For more information, go to http://www.koenigsegg.com

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