Bespoke hypercar from Swedish engineering genius makes New York debut

The Koenigsegg Agera RS1 (Source: Koenigsegg Automotive)

The latest bespoke hypercar creation from Swedish engineering genius Christian Von Koenigsegg, the Agera RS1, dazzles on its New York Auto Show debut.

Built specifically for an American client to his and his son's exact specifications, the Koenigsegg RS1 is finished in a combination of Arctic White with a unique shade of blue applied to the side skirts and rear wing to provide exterior contrasts.

The cabin is swathed in blue Alcantara while the instrument cluster and door panels are finished in polished carbon fibre and black anodized aluminium.

Once it leaves the Auto Show and goes home with its owner, however, most people who see it will never notice any of these details, due to the fact that this is one of the fastest cars any amount of money can buy.

Behind the front seats is a 5-litre V8 engine built entirely in-house by Koenigsegg which, thanks to some very generous use of turbocharging, outputs a remarkable 1360hp and 1370Nm of torque.

Channelled through the car's seven-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels via the company's own raft of electronic traction and stability control systems, the RS1 will rocket to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds, to 300km/h in 12.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 355km/h (220mph).

Much of this incredible performance comes down to how light the car is. It tips the scales at just 1395kg -- just 53kg short of offering the ultimate performance Holy Grail of 1hp per kg in weight.

The RS1 is also a convertible. The hard top roof unclips and slides into a slot in the luggage compartment, but when removed, there are no ill effects on the car's handling or to its torsional rigidity.

And unlike, say, a Lotus which removes absolutely every item that could add weight in order to attain lightness, this car still offers a host of creature comforts including a full infotainment system including navigation, climate control, electrically adjustable seats, and even a hydraulic lift system so that the car can be raised higher off the ground when encountering speed bumps or raised kerbs.