If you have read my posts from the beginning you would be aware that i was not talking road legal cars. I was talking about carbon on automotive industry. You can have acess to the data from Koenigsegg chassis trough Koenigsegg board forum or directly on their website. And if you are a frequent visitor of shows, Koenigsegg always has their specs regarding everything on the car available on the showboot. The chassis is made in england but according to Koenigsegg specific requirements in terms of enginering and the materials that make the chassis. Man serious, that talk about Ford is old. Seriously i dont see any Ford thing on it except for the number of cilinders.

 

Great video, he seemed to truly enjoy himself when cruising round that tiny circuit. Was hoping for a bit more... testing? though lol.

As far as Koenigsegg copying Pagani, thats just not true. Its more likely that the people that own a Pagani or Koenigsegg can probably afford or have either car, and since each Koenigsegg is built to customer specs, Koenigsegg can't really copy anyone unless the buyer wants them too. The blue tint as I said in another post is one of the only colors possible for tinting carbon, apparently along with purple too which I wasn't aware of.

And Koenigsegg is not at risk of going out of business. They have such a small customer base that economic recessions don't really affect them. Christian said they are having their best year right now as well, even with the European debt crisis and America's sluggish economy.

 

Will, sorry to have to correct you again but you are wrong, the carbon is not tinted, it’s the lacquer. Let me explain, if you imagine a glass of clear water into which you drop a small amount of blue ink, you will end up with blue coloured water which you can still see through. If you then place an object behind that glass and look through the water that object will now have a blue tint to it, Correct?

The same technique is used on these cars but instead of water you use clear lacquer and instead of ink you use a candy paint which is like ink. When you add the candy to the lacquer you can still see through it. So once sprayed onto the car whatever is under the paint will show through.

So as a result you can have tinted carbon in whatever colour you like as long as the candy colour exists. Here is another example just to prove my point

 

Rockstar as you are not prepared to submit the figures then let me add this:

Over a certain point of torsional rigidity measured in Nm/degree, a road car cannot produce high enough forces that can be detected by the driver. Also they will have little or no effect in the car’s ability to survive a crash.

Now just to give you a little firsthand experience of someone who has been close to both brands for a number of years, I.E. me
The early Koeniseggs suffered from a lack of build quality which was not acceptable in a car costing as much as it did. Compared to the Zonda of the time the Egg was lacking. This is borne out by the fact that the Eggs suffered a huge amount of depreciation whereas the Zonda’s of the same period are actually worth twice as much as they were when they were new.

Now with the introduction of the CCX the build quality took a marked leap forward and was starting to get close to the Zonda. It was only with the introduction of the Agera that both cars could be seen as equal in build quality. But once the Huayra was introduced the Pagani moved ahead again.

Now you say my views are subjective but they are based on first hand on experience, let me explain.

I was lucky enough to sample both of these cars below which my dealer held at the same time. Both were 2008 models:





So being in a position to compare the cars side by side along with my dealer gave me an insight few people get. Both cars were wonderful but it was easy to point to areas where the Zonda was clearly the superior product.
As for the driving experience let me quote my dealer (one of the most experienced supercar dealers in the world) On the road the Egg does not feel fully resolved, its engine is extremely peaky with all is power coming in a mad rush in the last 2000rpm of the rev band. This makes driving the car very frustrating as power delivery is not linier. Also the cars ride quality was marginal at best with the roof section showing signs that it did not fit properly.
As for the Zonda its ride was much better with the feeling that the car was very solid. It exhibited no strange noises or rattles and with the engine being NA was much easier to drive and faster even though it had 200hp less than the Egg.

Now these are the words of someone who is a lot better driver than me and I have racing experience. I agreed with his assessment.

One last thing, both cars cost near enough the same when new, but were for sale for £450k for the Egg and just under £900k. I think that says it all

I have yet to drive an Agera so cannot comment on the driving experience, but having spent a great deal of time with one I can confirm that it is beautifully built, only just being piped by the Huayra, the launch of which I was invited too by the factory

 

Dont worry, i can live with all the above. What its the key question is that some dude that clearly sees Pagani as a victim off all the other brands, specially Koenigsegg that copy/inspires in Pagani styling. That what i simply cannot agree and it is what gave origin to the discussing. As i told you, i can live with all you mention above, not only Koenigsegg, but others like Ferrari for example and Lamborghini that were not even simetrical.

 

Look I don't think Pagani or Koenigsegg have looked to each other for inspiration, both have followed their own path which is a good thing. As for the quality of some Ferrai's or Lamborghini's, well lets just say I can tell you a couple of very interesting first hand stories about those

 

Exaclly!

 

Mclaren has it's racing history, Pagani are experts in the field of carbonfiber technology, Bugatti has potentially billions of Euros of financial backing from Volkswagen. One has to remember that these amazing vehicles originates from totally different cultures, in different countries, operate in different environments and naturally have different answers to what they think from their individual perspective is the correct answer to what a true hypercar should look and drive and feel like.

I have followed Koenigsegg since 1998 when he was first published in the Swedish auto magazine "Teknikens Värld" featuring a red plastic mockup resembling something like a sports car. I was instant amazed and wishing him success since this was unheard of in Sweden. 9 out of 10 people thought he was an idiot that even dared to try to build a super car. Most of my Swedish fellowmen wanted him to fail, Everyone said it was impossible to make that kind of car. Look what Koenigsegg has turned into now. Koenigsegg has always been the underdog in the hypercar making world. They doesn't have the pedigree automobile background that nearly every other respected brand has.

Horacio has always been very passionate about design, especially exaggerated design elements with lots of small details that add visual drama to his vehicles. Horacio is also a fan of revolution, the Huayra is a true stunner and a complete different vehicle approach then the Zonda. It took Horacio 8 years to realize this hypercar.Pagani is also 3 years ahead in terms of delivered cars since they started delivery in 1999.

Whilst Christian on the other hand always has been keen of clean simple thoughtful design. Made for a purpose and not a fan of lots of dramatic details, simply straight forward. Christian on the other hand pursues the path of evolution, his vehicles has evolved from the start of the CC8S to this days Agera R. He has stated that the main reason for this is lack of finance, the average annual production of between 10-15 cars per year isn't enough to finance the creation of an entire new vehicle. One category that Koenigsegg has managed very well has been their ability to innovate new technology, such as the ‘Rocket’ Catalytic Converter and the Supercharger Response/Relief system among others.

One thing that Christian von Koenigsegg and Horacio Pagani respectively have in common is their absolute passion for creating vehicles without compromise. Even if I am more of a Koenigsegg fan I absolutely couldn't live without Pagani. I regard these two companies to challenge each other to new heights of amazement and technology the mainly in the same way as once did Ferrari vs. Lamborghini.

 

Great post mate! Seriously! Koenigsegg always went into a very organic based design because the general design that was used at the time from most manufactures made the cars in very little years look outdated. This was a principle establish by the person who made the foundations for Koenigsegg design language, i dont know is name now. And Koenigsegg sells alot of technology also. They can built you a sportscar brand basiclly if you have the money.

 

Insane.