Koenigsegg envisages three-cylinder supercar

Super-lightweight three-seater uses free-valve engine tech - and a hefty dollop of imagination

By Sam Sheehan / Thursday, 23 April 2020 / Loading comments

Koenigsegg Raw, the Swedish firm's design house, has created a hypothetical three-seater supercar powered by a three-cylinder engine to deliver 1,000hp per tonne. The imagined entry-level model uses Koenigsegg's innovative free-valve engine technology and cutting-edge lightweight materials, so it develops 700hp and weighs 700kg - a power-to-weight ratio that matches the One:1.

It's made up of a carbon fibre cell with the cam-free 2.0-litre engine mounted in the middle, wrapped in a body which takes its inspiration from a fighter jet and incorporates "flow-through" architecture. The air is channelled through and around panels for maximum performance, apparently with a focus on streamlined high speed. The proportions are tiny (and apparently not far off Czinger's similarly bold 21C), thanks to the packaging of the downsized engine tight against the rear bulkhead and a miniscule rear overhang. It certainly looks the part, the use of scissor doors with an open roof arrangement adding to the visual drama.

We're not given any theoretical performance statistics since this is very much a design study for now. In fact the supercar, which places its driver slightly ahead of two passengers like the McLaren F1, is actually a final thesis project created by Finnish design student Esa Mustonen. Nevertheless Koenigsegg has highlighted the seriousness of the proposition, stating that Mustonen worked with its Raw design house, under the supervision of Christian von Koenigsegg and Sasha Selipanov, the brand's CEO and design boss. It's labelled as a "futuristic entry-level hypercar" that could launch under a "Raw by Koenigsegg sub-brand".

Optimistic, yes. But Koenigsegg has proven itself capable of some wild flights of fancy in the recent past, making a 700hp/700kg base model seem far more plausible than it otherwise would. Plus, it's heavily invested in this sort of stuff, with the new hybrid four-seat Gemera - which already mixes free-valve tech with electrification - intended to help it multiply a present 30-car-per-year output by 10. That's probably enough to be getting on with. But you rule out Koenigsegg's ambition at your peril.

Read about the Koenigsegg Jesko here