Swedish supercar not for chickens

[BERIGAN]

Swedish supercar not for chickens

By Simon Johnson Mon Dec 12, 8:26 AM ET

ANGELHOLM, Sweden (Reuters) - Going from selling frozen chickens to building a supercar in the home of the safe Saab might seem a big leap, but not for Swede Christian von Koenigsegg.

On a bleak winter day, his fire-red 806 horsepower CCR is hard to see as it powers through the driving rain at over 124 mph, racing along the former runway the firm uses for tests in southern Sweden.

That's only half the speed the low-slung, $665,000 machine is capable of. In February, the CCR clocked an official speed of 241 mph, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records and just pipping the McLaren F1's 240.4 mph.

Since then, Volkswagen's Bugatti Veyron has claimed the speed top spot. VW says the car officially clocked 252.8 mph in May although debate still rages among car aficionados about who officially has the fastest wheels.

"They say they have driven 400 kph (249 mph) already ... but we still hold the record title with Guinness," Koenigsegg said.

He hopes the CCR will top that speed before next autumn.

"Theoretically, this car can go 407 kph (253 mph)," he said. "But it's not as easy as you think. You have to have a really, really long straight."

The 33-year-old says he first dreamed of building a supercar when he was 5. But after studying economics, his first venture was trading frozen chickens, plastic bags and perfume.

"Really, anything I could find a market for and a supplier and where I could make some money in between," he said in an interview at the company's factory.

He was soon bored.

"I had proved I could be a success as a businessman, but what I really wanted to do was build a car."

SWEDISH SUPERCAR?

The fact that Swedish cars, like Volvo and Saab, are more associated with safety than speed, and more likely to be used for a trip to the local supermarket than a blast around a race track, did not put him off.

Nor did Sweden's slightly chilly attitude to entrepreneurs or the fact that decades of Social Democrat rule have made Swedes uncomfortable with ostentatious displays of wealth -- like cars that cost more than half a million dollars.

"In some ways a supercar is not a Swedish product," Koenigsegg admitted.

"I thought, does it make business sense? Is it possible? I don't know, but that's what I want to do. I'm fairly young and if it doesn't pan out, it's not the end of the world."

For now, his gamble appears to have paid off: His company has more orders than it can handle and has already built 26 supercars.

The flat, open fields of southern Sweden, home to Henning Mankell's lugubrious fictional detective Kurt Wallander, may seem a strange place to build a supercar.

But Koenigsegg said Sweden's automotive history, its high-tech electronics and aviation industries and design traditions make the country a good base.

His factory is located in Angelholm, not far from the southern city of Gothenburg, which is home to Volvo; north of Malmo, where truck maker Scania was founded; and close to Saab in Trollhattan.

SPEEDY BUT SAFE

Eighty percent of the CCR is made in Sweden, with only the engine block, suspension, brakes and other minor parts imported.

The chassis is distinctly high-tech. Built in an aircraft hangar that used to house military jets, it is made of honeycombed aluminum overlaid with carbon fiber and kevlar -- the material used for bullet-proof vests.

The body parts are glued on and the rest of the car put together by hand in a process that takes two and a half months.

The minimalist design is traditionally Swedish, as is the focus on making the car the safest in its class in tests.

The car is also frugal, despite its price tag. Koenigsegg reckons it drinks about 3.1 gallons per 60 miles at normal road speeds against about 2.6 for a standard Volvo. Put your foot down, however, and the consumption rises to closer to 21 gallons.

Koenigsegg drives a test model, but there are no other Swedish owners. There are no women owners either.

His youngest customer is 22, the oldest in his 70s, but the company won't say who exactly has bought the other cars.

Koenigsegg is also coy about what's next for the firm. He will expand production to 30 cars next year and the company also hopes to enter the famous Le Mans 24 Hour race, but he won't talk about any new models.

As for building a car that could thunder along at 311 mph kph, that's not on the cards -- yet.

"It's absolutely unrealistic, but very possible," Koenigsegg said.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

[mgraham333]

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