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Koenigsegg CCX
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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.
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Encyclopedia
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 taller than the CCR and, combined with the carbon fiber reinforced plastic sports seats by Sparco, the CCX allows for 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.
Specifications
Performance
The CCX can accelerate from 0– in 3.2 seconds and from 0– in 9.8 seconds. According to Koenigsegg it has a top speed of , although this has not been officially verified. On 15 June 2008, a standard fully equipped CCX was independently timed by SportAuto 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 casted for them by Grainger & Worrall, a British company that produces drivetrain components for Formula One cars. The engine is a 4.7 litre 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 of boost with an 8.2:1 compression ratio. The engine produces at 6900rpm and 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 .
Exterior
The CCX is a two-door targa top and the removable roof can be stored under the front trunk meaning that, unlike many of its competitors, it can be changed at any location, not only one where the roof can be safely left. The body, made of pre-impregnated carbon fiber and Kevlar, is long, wide and tall with a ground clearance of . As with all previous Koenigsegg models, the "dihedral synchro-helix" actuation doors rotate forward and upwards similar to scissor doors though the Koenigsegg design avoids the problem of the open door obscuring the passenger's entry or exit.
The CCX has a frontal area of and a drag coefficient of just 0.30. It also has a flat underside with venturi tunnels at the rear and an optional rear spoiler to improve aerodynamics. Between the 2 speedster humps (humps behind the seats) is a vortex generator used as a ram-air intake that allows higher pressure in the air box without a roof scoop that would increase the frontal area. At there is 132 lbf (60 kilograms) of downforce over the front axle and 143 lbf (65 kilograms) over the rear.
Transmission
The CCX has a six speed manual gearbox made for Koenigsegg by Cima with a twin plate clutch of diameter as default but a sequential manual transmission option is available. The power is fed to the wheels through a torque sensitive, limited slip differential. The option to select gear ratios is available, but the default ratios of the 2007 CCX can be seen in the table below.
| Gear | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Reverse | Final Drive |
|---|
| Ratio | 2.875:1 | 1.652:1 | 1.125:1 | 0.865:1 | 0.711:1 | 0.604:1 | 3.000:1 | 3.545:1 |
Wheels and brakes
The standard CCX wheels are Koenigsegg's magnesium alloy wheels, though the option to upgrade to carbon/magnesium wheels which each weigh less than the standard wheels is available. The front wheels have a diameter of and the rear, . Each of the wheels is attached by center locking wheel nuts. The car comes with Michelin Pilot Sport 2 unidirectional tires with asymmetric tread. The front tires have codes of 255/35 Y19 and the rear 335/30 Y20.
The front and rear cast iron disc brakes are across with of contact at any point and have 6 piston calipers. The brakes can be upgraded to SystemST carbon ceramic brakes which weigh less per wheel, a diameter of with of contact and eight piston brake calipers.
Top Gear
In 2007, the CCX was the fastest car to complete a lap of the BBC Top Gear circuit, in a time of 1:17.6, until it was beaten by the Ascari A10 with a time of 1:17.3, then by the Gumpert Apollo. It originally went around the course in 1:20.4, but was then fitted with a non-standard rear spoiler to provide downforce, after The Stig spun the original version off the track. The Stig purportedly recommended this modification, correctly predicting that the car would then be the fastest ever round Top Gear's track. Koenigsegg stated that the improvement was due to adjustments other than the spoiler (eg. changes to the adjustable chassis and suspension settings).
CCXR
The CCXR is an "environmentally-friendly" version of the CCX, powered by a modified twin-supercharged V8 engine from the CCX, converted to use E85 or E100 ethanol fuel as well as standard 98 octane petrol. When run on regular petrol, the CCXR develops , but when the car is run on E85 Biofuel, the CCXR develops . Weight-to-power ratio is 2.76 lb/hp. Torque is . The CCXR can achieve in 2.9 seconds. Christian von Koenigsegg is quoted as saying, "Our engineers couldn't quite believe the figures when we tested the car". The increased power is a result of the cooling properties of ethanol in the engine's combustion chambers allowing for a higher pressure in the cylinder and the biofuel having a higher octane rating of 113 RON compared to 95 RON for gasoline in North America and 100 RON for gasoline in Europe, although the CCXR burns slightly more fuel than the CCX with about 15 mpg (17L/100 km). The only changes to the engine are modified fuel injectors, upgraded fuel lines and piston rings and a higher boost setting on the superchargers.
Edition
In March 2008, two models - The CCX Edition and the CCXR Edition - were launched at the Geneva Motor Show. Both models are fitted with a remapped, 4.8 liter twin-supercharged Koenigsegg engine. The engine tune in the CCXR Edition is more powerful than that of the standard CCX, developing at 7000 rpm and of torque at 5600 rpm. The CCX Edition develops at 7000 rpm and of torque at 5800 rpm. In total the Edition produces over of downforce at .
The Edition CCXR and CCX are more track oriented compared to the standard models, being equipped with stiffer springs and anti-roll bars, reset dampers and a lowered chassis. The Edition CCXR and the CCX also feature a fully visible carbon body, a large adjustable rear wing, larger front splitter and side strakes and a unique forged wheel design.
The interior is also reworked and features: color matched leather carpets, Koenigsegg Edition side step plates, Edition chronograph instrument cluster, a new Edition only layout for the center console control panels, and features a special version of the Koenigsegg Chronocluster including a redesigned center console. All other extra equipment for the Koenigsegg Edition CCXR and CCX comes as standard: carbon wheels, special interior trim and color, rearview camera, Satnav or Bluetooth, amplifiers, complete Inconell exhaust system.
Awards and recognition
External links
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