Koenigsegg Says The Agera RS Could Go 300 MPH

Both Koenigsegg and Michelin have admitted that the record-setting Agera RS could hit 300 mph (482 km/h).

In November last year, an Agera RS set a new production-car top speed record, securing a two-way average of 277.9 mph on a stretch of tarmac near Las Vegas. Speaking to The Drive at the Detroit Auto Show, Christian von Koenigsegg, as well as Michelin product manager Eric Schmedding said both the car and Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires have more to give.

“If someone wants to set that record, it’s very doable. For the car we would need more RPM and a longer gear ratio, but we could hit 300 right now.

“It’s scary and very dangerous to drive this fast, because there are a lot of uncontrollable aspects, such as animals, tumbleweeds, bumps, wind. It’s doable, but it’s not our objective,” von Koenigsegg admitted.

One of the most interesting things about the Agera RS’s current record average speed is that it was recorded with off-the-shelf Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, the same ones fitted to the Bugatti Chiron.

Prior to the run, Michelin itself was unaware of how the tires would hold up as they were never designed for such speeds. However, after analysing the record-breaking runs, the tire manufacturer concluded that “the tires were nowhere near their limits,” Schmedding said.

According to Schmedding, the potential of hitting 300 mph with the tires depends on how quickly a car can get to those speeds.

“Heat buildup can run away very quickly at those speeds, and that’s when you’ll run into failure.

“A big part of the equation is how fast you can get there. If the car can get to 270 fairly quickly but it takes five minutes to get from 270 to 300, that’s not really going to work. So for a 300-plus mph run, we’d still want to do some additional validation,” he said.