Koenigsegg

Aside from chocolate, cheese and timepieces, Switzerland is also known for its neutrality. As such, none of the world’s major auto manufacturers hold a distinct advantage when they roll into Geneva for the global car biz’s annual rite of spring (or late winter, anyway), the Geneva Motor Show. As a result, almost all of the world’s major nameplates (and many aftermarket tuners) have it circled on their calendars as a good venue for debuting new concept and production models. Here are 20 of our favorites from this year’s show.

Swedish hypercar maker Koenigsegg doesn’t seem to be content to languish in Bugatti’s shadow; why else would it have facelifted and tweaked the CCX/CCR model family extensively enough to create the Agera? But even the Agera takes a back seat to Molsheim’s Veyron Super Sport in terms of both engine output and outright speed.

It’s probably not a coincidence, then, that Koenigsegg is going to introduce the Agera R at this week’s Geneva Motor Show. As is the case with most cars branded with an “R” designation, the Agera R has been fortified with vitamins O, M, and G, if you catch our drift. What exactly does that entail?

A few years ago a car maker named Koenigsegg blew 13 year-old gear head minds everywhere when their CCX hurled Jeremy Clarkson around the TG test track like a tetherball. It sounded like a Corvette that was poked with a cattle prod, and had a top speed very close to the almighty bug. And all that from a Swedish company that insisted its name used every letter of the alphabet. A few years and 8 million gallons of spent fuel later and Koenigsegg is about to unleash their newest hyper-car underdog; the Koenigsegg Agera. When it debuted at the Geneva Auto Show this year the number of kidneys on ebay went up 1000%.

The Agera's 4.7L V8 produces 910hp and 811ft lbs of torque, making it one of the most powerful cars on terra firma. Like its older simblings its shape is 100% appropriate for both the category and price called "hyper car." While the closest we've been to one is a T1 line, our friends at 0-60 mag got invited to look at where the magic happens. They went into the factory, watching Ageras being built like the Orks in LOTR. As much as I respect mechanics and titanium bolts, they don't make the best car porn. That's why they took an Agera out to an airstrip, and showed the lucky SOBs of 0-60 what it can do (even in the wet.) Make the jump to watch the video...

What if you could take the punching power of Mike Tyson and fit it into the body of Bruce Lee? That seems to be the motivation behind Koenigsegg's newest hypercar, the 2011 Koenigsegg Agera. Koenigsegg chose the 2010 Geneva Motor Show to display it's new creation, which was made as a celebration of the Swedish manufacturer's 15th anniversary.

Koenigsegg is calling it a new car, but it's really just an improvement on the CCX. And that's fine, because I thought the CCX was a great car. Classic supercar looks, eargasm soundtrack and performance nipping at a Veyron's heels.