Swedish megacar maker Koenigsegg is good at shaving. They shaved 3 seconds off their own 0-400-0 record last year, pushing their Agera RS from zero to 248 mph and back down to zero in under 34 seconds (a full 8 seconds faster than the Bugatti Chiron). They shaved 88 pounds off the battery pack for the Regera, the company’s electric/combustion luxury mega car. And now they’re “shaving” off the epoxy on every carbon fiber piece for one of those Regeras that’s scheduled for delivery to a Swiss dealer in 2019 (after the Geneva Motor Show).
While most carbon fiber gets coated — with special paints, varnishes, or lacquers — Koenigsegg has instead done away with all finishes, then went one step further and carefully sanded and polished the epoxy off of each cured carbon piece to expose the pure graphite strands of the carbon fiber. The car is cold to the touch and actually offers a tougher exoskeleton, not as susceptible to scratches and chips from errant stones. The result is a car that manages to look even more amazing than a “regular” Regera (and the lack of paint just happens to shave 44 pounds off the final weight).
