Koenigsegg CCX

The Koenigsegg CCX is a mid-engined roadster from Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg. The CCX has been engineered to comply with the U.S. regulation and market demands and is an evolutionary design that replaced the Koenigsegg CCR.

CCX is an abbreviation for Competition Coupe X; the X commemorating the 10th anniversary, (being the Roman numeral for ten), of the completion and test drive of the first CC vehicle in 1996.

The CCX was first unveiled on February 28, 2006 at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show although its existence was announced earlier. A derivative known as the CCXR is available, the difference being that CCXR's engine is tuned to run on biofuel. The different fuel and tune allows the CCXR to produce 25% more power than the CCX.

Development
Koenigsegg began the CCX project with the aim of entering the world market, though particularly the United States car market. Development engineer Magnus Jaasund said "We wanted to go into the world market, but we couldn’t do it with the old car." To sell cars to the North American market many alterations were made to the design of the CCR; the previously used Ford Modular engine was replaced by a Koenigsegg engine designed to run on 91 octane fuel, readily available in the United States, and to meet the Californian emission standards. The front bumper of the CCX is designed to be safer in low speed collisions than previous Koenigseggs and the whole body is 3.46 in (88 millimeters) longer to comply with the United States' rear impact regulations. Additionally the CCX can display United States or European number plates.

The CCX is 1.6 in (40.6 mm) taller than the CCR and, combined with the carbon fiber reinforced plastic sports seats by Sparco, the CCX allows for 2 in (50.8 mm) of extra headroom that Autoweek reviewer Mark Vaughn hypothesizes is "to accommodate U.S. NBA stars." The electronic control unit has also received an upgrade over the CCR meaning that the CCX is without physical fuses and it is lighter than the previous system.


Performance

The CCX can accelerate from 0–62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.2 seconds and from 0–124 mph (200 km/h) in 9.8 seconds. According to Koenigsegg it has a top speed of 259 mph (417 km/h), although this has not been officially verified. On 15 June 2008, a standard fully equipped CCX was independently timed by sport auto in achieving a record 0-186-0 mph (0-300-0 km/h) in 29.2 seconds, beating SLR McLaren 722, Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, Porsche 997 GT2, Alpina B6 S, Corvette Z06.


Engine

While previous Koenigsegg models were powered by an engined based on the Ford Modular V8 engine sourced from the U.S., and modified by Koenigsegg, the engine of the CCX was designed by Koenigsegg themselves and is built ground up in the Koenigsegg factory. The Engine block is cast for them by Grainger & Worrall, a British company that produces drivetrain components for Formula One cars. The engine is a 4.7 liter 288 cu in (4,719 cc) V8, with dual overhead camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder. The engine block is made of 356 Aluminium that has undergone a T7 heat treatment, a form of accelerated precipitation strengthening. The aluminium alloy is stronger than the previous engine and allows a thinner, thus lighter, engine block that will withstand higher cylinder pressures. The engine is boosted by two centrifugal superchargers that provide 17.5 psi (121 kPa)of boost with an 8.2:1 compression ratio. The engine produces 806 bhp (601 kW; 817 PS) at 6900rpm and 678 lb·ft (919 N·m) of torque at 5700 rpm on 91 octane (U.S. rating) gasoline. The engine is lubricated with a dry sump system with a separate oil pump, the pistons are cooled by oil sprayed onto them and the oil itself has an external cooler. The CCX engine burns 14 mpg-US (17 L/100 km; 17 mpg-imp).