This Incredible Koenigsegg Regera is a Carbon Masterpiece
Koenigsegg just announced that they have produced the world’s first ever car made of ‘Koenigsegg Naked Carbon’ – and are taking orders to build more.
Appropriately dubbed ‘KNC’, the extreme carbon fiber makeover on this Regera is as much about the process as it is about the product. All ‘normal’ Regeras are in fact, already made out of ‘normal’ carbon. KNC involves a special process which has been developed over several years – it is incredibly tedious, time consuming and expensive.
The end product of this process is what we now know as KNC – a type of carbon that is especially gorgeous and even lighter than what we are used to. Each body panel is sanded down to the weave by hand, providing the carbon with a unique texture which is emphasized even more by the omission of the lacquer finish we see in other exposed carbon examples. Coupled with the absence of body paint, the KNC body panels shave about 20kg off the Regera.
Koenigsegg also claims that KNC is stronger than regular carbon fiber, being less susceptible to scratches, chips, cracks et al. It has also been ‘weather-tested’ to ensure that it won’t deform due to extreme temperatures, whether (no pun intended) they be of the hotter or colder variety.
The Koenigsegg Regera ‘KNC’ is unchanged mechanically, most notably retaining the same 1,479-horsepower engine used in other Regeras. Having said that, it is feels almost surreal that the performance figures aren’t what makes this particular Regera so special.
Koenigsegg CEO, Christian von Koenigsegg sums it up best:
“It’s not unusual for a customer to specify their car with visible carbon fibre. It’s a beautiful material from a visual perspective and our customers love to show what the car is made from. KNC takes the idea of visible carbon fibre to a whole new level, revealing a beautiful lustre and a very silky finish.
The Koenigsegg philosophy has always been about exploring extremes. It’s great to extend that idea to a whole new way of finishing and presenting a car.”
Now that the KNC process looks to be nailed down, perhaps we will see this on other offerings such as the Agera.