Koenigsegg Regera reclaims world record for 0-400-0 Km/h thanks to new Michelin tyres

It’s a win for internal combustion as Koenigsegg’s now dated Regera snatches the 0-400-0 title back from the electric Rimac Nevera.

28.81 seconds. That’s all it took for Koenigsegg’s now eight-year-old Regera to slingshot from a standing start all the way to 400 Km/h and then return to rest again. If that doesn’t sound utterly mind-boggling to you, consider the fact that the original Bugatti Veyron (the undisputed king of speed at the time) took nearly twice as long as that just to reach 400 Km/h, never mind scrubbing all that velocity off and coming to a halt as well.

Surely then Koenigsegg must have made some pretty major modifications to the old Regera in order to beat the time of the nearly new Rimac Nevera (yes, the same one that Richard Hammond drove off a Swiss hillside in). Dialled up the boost pressure of the turbos? Bored out the cylinders of the V8? Upped the output of the Yasa electric motors, perhaps? All wrong. In reality, the Regera used earlier this month was all but identical to the car that broke the record four years ago.

Two factors allowed the Regera to reclaim its seat on the throne of speed. The first (and most important) was a new set of Michelin's highly-specialised Cup 2 R tyres — allowing the Regera to plant 1800 bhp to the tarmac more easily, whilst also reducing the distance it pulled up in. According to Koenigsegg, smoother tarmac also had an influence.

It is hard to convey just how rapid that time is in words alone, so hopefully this video does Koenigsegg’s achievement justice. Rimac, the ball’s in your court…