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Koenigsegg-Safety |
A Safe
Supercar
It is natural
to believe that an extreme super-speed machine
such as the Koenigsegg is unsafe, that it should
be driven on racetracks only and would be
dangerous on the road. But the fact is that
ordinary mass produced vehicles are indeed more
dangerous in traffic; a Koenigsegg offers both
better driver protection and crash evasion. It
is the very extremeness that makes the car safe;
it is made of very light and super strong
composites and is equipped for the best possible
driver control; it is vastly superior both in
terms of road holding and braking.
The safety of the Koenigsegg cars has been
confirmed through extensive crash testing,
performed at the Autoliv crash test facility in
Sweden. Both side and front impact tests were
executed to comply with the strictest
international certification requirements. The
results stunned the staff of the test facility;
at the first side impact test the car hardly
moved, nor did it bend, and the structural
damage was merely cosmetic. No damage whatsoever
to the chassis was recorded and the door, where
the impact hit, could still easily be opened! In
fact, the same vehicle could be used for the
front impact test, for the first time ever at
the Autoliv test facility. The test dummies
recorded low levels of impact force on both
tests, which is a crucial factor for passing; it
confirmed the efficiency of the impact
absorption zones on bumpers, thresholds and the
front subframe.
Safety Measure
The basic concept of the Koenigsegg is simple: A
road car body that incorporates a Formula One
racing car chassis. The Koenigsegg chassis is
built on a semi-monocoque cockpit module that
encloses the driver, protecting him from impacts
from all sides. This monocoque was designed by
engineers with experience from Formula One and
Cart racing; it is a virtually indestructible
unit made of carbon fibre and aluminium
honeycomb. The angular front end is shaped to
redirect impact force into the sides, which are
made up of tubular beams capable of absorbing
extreme levels of impact force. The back end is
topped by a beam to absorb rear impact force,
and it also supports the roll-over bars, which
are of reinforced carbon fibre laminate and
serve to effectively protect the driver and
passenger in the event of a roll-over accident.
An autoclave oven is used to fuse the individual
components together, forming an unbreakable
bond.
Among other passive safety measures on the
Koenigsegg are the collision impact absorption
zones on the body, which are engineered to
soften the impact force before it reaches the
monocoque. For this reason the carbon fibre
bumpers along with the front hood and thresholds
are reinforced with Kevlar, a super elastic
material often used in bullet-proof vests. The
front subframe is designed to bend and fold to
further soften the impact. Inside the cockpit
all surfaces have been measured and tested to be
harmless in all crash situations and airbags are
standard. Active safety measures include superb
handling, exceptionally strong brakes and
flawless traction control combined with good
visibility from the driving seat.
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