The Evolution of Koenigsegg's Sadair's Spear: A Powerhouse of Innovation

If there’s one thing to be said about Koenigsegg and the wild machines coming out of the gates of their facilities in Ängelholm, Sweden, it’s that they’re at the peak of engineering. The Swedish megacar manufacturer, founded by Christian von Koenigsegg in 1994, is known for pushing back the boundaries of performance and innovation, breaking countless speed records over the years and upping the ante with each new car that is announced. And, much to our joy, there’s a narrative we truly love that can be compared to watchmaking: as much as possible of the development and production is done… in-house! From the chassis to the engine to suspension systems, trick gearboxes and even the weave of the carbon fibre, it’s all done by Koenigsegg workers. The latest machine to hit the road and track is the Sadair’s Spear, which puts down no less than 1,625 horsepower!

The goal of the 22-year-old Christian von Koenigsegg when founding his own car company over three decades ago was to build the world’s greatest sports car. The first concept was shown in 1996 and called the CC, but it took until 2000 for the company to present the first fully developed production prototype, the CC8S. This was put on the road in 2002, with a supercharged V8 engine producing 655 horsepower. Those numbers were pretty uncommon back then, as the CC8S was awarded the Guinness World Record for the most powerful production engine, dethroning the legendary McLaren F1. With 6 cars built, it’s among the rarest of Koenigseggs now, but it was the first step in carving out a unique and unparalleled automotive legacy.

What followed were cars like the CCR, the CCX, the CCXR and the Agera, all based on the same platform but increasingly more powerful and increasingly more ‘Koenigsegg’. By that, I mean that the company found its own unique flair, and more importantly, made big strides in bringing production of various components under its own roof: the abandoned military airfield in Ängelholm, once home to the Ghost Squadron of the Swedish Air Force. The squadron’s ghost badge is also found on all of Koenigsegg’s cars to have been built there, in tribute to the men and women stationed at Ängelholm during their service.

From Hypercar to Megacar

The thin red line from the earliest CC prototype to the latest Sadair’s Spear comes down to one thing: relentless innovation. It sounds simple on paper, but what Koenigsegg has done is rewrite the rulebook on performance through many of its cars. It has also redefined the concept of the supercar and basically created the hypercar class with its +1,000 horsepower machines. Hyper-exclusive cars like the Bugatti Veyron and Pagani Zonda had a hand in that, too, but Koenigsegg did have a major influence on today’s niche hypercar market. The company itself even goes so far as to call their cars Megacars, as they almost always exceed the 1:1 power-to-weight ratio, essentially producing one megawatt of power or more (1,000 watts equates to 1,360bhp). The first production car to break that barrier was also fittingly named the One:1.

This innovation expresses itself in many ways at Koenigsegg, from engine development to materials innovation and from safety devices to aerodynamics and handling. Another big part of Koenigsegg’s quest for performance comes down to efficiency, which sounds odd for such high-powered machines, but they’re always looking to extract the most out of the least. How can they push forward by reducing their carbon footprint, harnessing more power from an engine or having them run on multiple types of fuel? Standout developments are the direct drive system of the Regera (see above), which does without a traditional multi-gear transmission in favour of a single fixed-gear system. The company also developed an ultra-fast shifting 9-speed dual-clutch transmission, an 800bhp, 1,250Nm Dark Matter radial flux E-motor that weighs less than 40 kilos, and much, much more. And remember, all of this is developed and produced in-house!

But you can’t talk about Koenigsegg without mentioning speed. The CC8S set the benchmark for all that came after, as it had an acclaimed top speed of 390kph. The CCR was tested at a top speed of 387kph, just shy of what it should be able to do on paper. The CCXR was the first one to break 400kph, but the real claim to fame was the Agera RS. This monstrously powerful car, packing a 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 pumping out 1,360 horsepower with the Megawatt package, hit an astonishing 457.94kph. And no, that’s not a typo! It also accelerated and decelerated faster than anything else. The run from zero to 400kph and back to zero was done in 33.29 seconds, almost a full 8 seconds faster than the Bugatti Chiron could do! That thirst for speed and performance continues with the Jesko, which comes in either a track-focused Attack set-up or a top speed-focused Absolut set-up and is named after Christian’s father, Jesko von Koenigsegg. Now, though, there’s a Jesko+ if you will, named the Sadair’s Spear

Spearheading performance

The name for Koenigsegg’s latest power-hungry machine comes from Christian’s father once more. Jesko von Koenigsegg was an avid gentleman jockey and a valued member of the Swedish equestrian community. Koenigsegg seniors’ favourite and final racing horse was named Sadair’s Spear, so Christian comes full circle to celebrate his father once more with Sadair’s Spear, which is an evolution of the Jesko Absolute/Attack concept. So that means big power and BIG aero! Oh, and during shakedown, it already shattered the lap record at Sweden’s Gotland Ring circuit.

Using the Jesko platform means that for the Sadair’s Spear, we’re dealing with a completely in-house-made carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb monocoque chassis, with integrated fuel tanks. This also incorporates a safety cell, much like a top-tier racing car, and crumple zones front and rear. The whole car, engine and all, weighs just 1,385 kilos, which is quite impressive given how much tech is involved. I mean, my Opel Insignia estate weighs more than that! The body is made of carbon fibre and Kevlar, which also helps to keep the weight down, of course, and for this one, it’s finished in a chocolate brown colour. And, as with most cars by Koenigsegg, the dihedral synchro-helix doors open out and up, the front and rear clamshells open up hydraulically, and you can take the roof off if you want.

The powertrain is again the 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 from the Jesko, but with slightly more power. Thanks to improved airflow and cooling, it produces a staggering 1,625 horsepower on E85 fuel, over the 1,600bhp of the Jesko. If you run it on normal fuel, that drops to 1,300 horsepower. Still, plenty of oomph to peel your face off, I’d say! The engine is fitted with a lightweight flat-plane crankshaft, a dry-sump lubrication system, a carbon fibre intake manifold, and an Inconel exhaust system. The engine itself weighs 189 kilos and is bolted to Koenigsegg’s 9-speed dual-clutch Light Speed Transmission. This sends all of the power to the rear wheels only, and through super-light Koenigsegg Aircore carbon fibre centre-lock wheels, fitted with Michelin Cup2 tyres as standard. You can also spec extra-sticky Michelin Cup2Rs, by the way.

But where the Sadair’s Spear really shines is in the aerodynamics department. The Jesko already had some of the most advanced aerodynamic technology on a road car, and the Sadair’s Spear only builds upon that. For starters, the top-mounted double-blade active rear wing (impossible to miss!) was redesigned and gives even more downforce. It also has a slightly longer rear-end, the lengthen the venturi tunnels running underneath the car, to suck it down on the tarmac and give it greater stability. Then there are newly profiled canards, splitters and aerofoils all over, redesigned air intakes and vents, etc. All to channel the air over, underneath, around and through the car as best as possible. The result is a staggering 1,765kgs of downforce at 250kph. To put this into perspective, the aero-crazy Porsche 911 GT3 RS hits ‘only’ 860kgs at 285kph! So the Koenigsegg doubles that, at a lower speed.

And yet, there’s more to talk about. The newly designed carbon fibre wheels, for instance, aid in the downforce and cooling of the brakes. Each wheel has a specifically calibrated profile unique to each corner, so you can’t swap them out from left to right. The tyres on the Sadair’s Spear are also wider: 275/35-20 in the front and 335/30-21 in the rear. The suspension system has also been updated to improve handling, and the brakes are new multi-layered carbon-ceramic discs with upgraded pads. Inside, there are carbon fibre bucket seats with a 6-point racing harness, and tons of styling cues unique to the Sadair’s Spear.

So what does this all mean in terms of performance? And will you be able to buy one? To answer that last question first, you can’t. All thirty cars have been allocated already, despite the price tag of around 5 million euros when everything is said and done. Then the speed… There’s not much coming from the Swedish crew, other than a top speed of 360kph listed on their website. No zero-to-100kph times, no intermediate acceleration times, no nothing. The only thing they have claimed so far is that it smashed the lap record at the Gotland Ring, as I mentioned earlier. By how much, you ask? Well, 1.1 seconds to be precise. Besting what car, you ask? The Jesko Attack, of course!

For more information, please visit Koenigsegg.com.

Editorial Note: The information used and images portrayed in this article are sourced from and used with permission of Koenigsegg Automotive AB unless stated otherwise.