A Koenigsegg Agera RS has set a new world record with a two-way average speed of 277.9mph.
This means the Swedish supercar maker has taken the title of creating the world’s fastest production car.
The test was carried out on a piece of arrow-straight road that spanned no less than 11 miles between Las Vegas and Pahrhump, and was closed to the public during the test. The drive was repeated in each direction for an average top speed.
At first racing driver Niklas Lilja, who was driving during the runs, took it very slowly to warm up the tyres and engine before launching into full acceleration.
On its first run, the £1.5 million Agera RS hit 271.1mph, hitting 284.7mph on its second run. The average of 277.9mph secured the record.
With a 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 producing an eye-watering 1,380bhp, the Agera RS can accelerate from 0-249mph and back to 0 in just 36.44 seconds. This is also thanks to it being lightweight, weighing in at 1,996kg – about the same as three dairy cows.
Footage from on-board the Agera RS shows the rapid pace at which the car travelled, at times weaving across the tarmac. With just one twitch of the wheel at such speed the steering seemed to react almost instantly.
The Bugatti Chiron is its closest rival with a top speed of 261mph, although Bugatti claims it has the potential to hit 310mph in the future.
The Koenigsegg also managed to beat the former record-holding Hennessey Venom GT’s run by more than 7mph. However, that car’s maker has unveiled its latest F5 model, which could steal the crown from the Koenigsegg if it can reach 300mph, as claimed.
