Koenigsegg Chimera unveiled: Secretive ‘Legends Division’ unveils an Agera RS with a manual transmission
Having set the world record for the top speed of a production car at 277.9mph, the Koenigsegg Agera RS is arguably the company’s most famous vehicle. Unveiled in 2015, the hypercar produces 1,160hp from its 5.0L V8 engine and utilizes a seven-speed dual-clutch (semi-automatic) transmission, helping it achieve mind-bending performance. But how could you make this already-incredible hypercar even better?
How about a manual transmission?
That is exactly what Koenigsegg has done.
In the summer of 2022, Emirati businessman and current President of the FIA Mohammed ben Sulayem had an idea. Sulayem, a renowned car collector and longtime friend of Christian von Koenigsegg, had owned an Agera RS for the last six years. However, as a car enthusiast through and through, he wanted to make his Agera RS even more of a special driver’s experience.
Koenigsegg had just unveiled the revolutionary CC850 and with it debuted their Engage Shift System (ESS), a gated six-speed manual and nine-speed automatic in the same transmission. What if Koenigsegg modified Sulayem’s Agera RS to have the Engage Shift System? With this thought, the Chimera project was born.
Chimera, derived from Greek mythology, describes a creature with parts taken from different animals. This is a fitting name for the project given the car is a blend between an Agera RS, Jesko, and CC850. A mashup of greatest hits, if you will.
First things first, the canvas from which Chimera was built is Sulayem’s stunning Agera RS, finished in blue-tinted carbon fibre with a brown leather interior. Then, the master engineers in the prototype division swapped out the older 1,160hp V8 engine from the Agera RS for the 1,600hp V8 from the Jesko. Where the engineering truly gets impressive, however, is the transmission.
Chimera uses the Engage Shift System from the CC850, allowing the driver to shift gears manually using the stick shift or put the car into automatic. However, unlike the CC850 which only has the stick for shifting gears, Chimera has the addition of paddle shifters from the Jesko. Therefore, the Chimera can be driven in manual using the stick shift (like the CC850) or can be driven with the paddles (like the Jesko).
The exterior of Chimera has a number of changes, too. First, Koenigsegg has added a carbon fibre roof-scoop with a shark-fin on top of the car which, in addition to looking incredibly cool, helps with both cooling and stability at high speeds. The carbon ceramic brake calipers have also been changed from black to silver.
The interior has bucket seats from the Koenigsegg Agera RS as well as the updated Smart Cluster infotainment system. ‘CHIMERA’ is embroidered in the passenger dash. The gorgeous brown leather found in the original specification of this car is retained, which works beautifully with the blue carbon exterior.
Photo by Nozomi Okazaki
Finally, all of the Agera RS badging has been removed, replaced with Chimera badging. Though Chimera retains its original VIN (YT9MM1A42GA007132) and is thus, officially, still an Agera RS, it has had so many changes to it combining multiple Koenigsegg models that it has taken on an identity of its own, never to be replicated.
Through all of these changes, massive weight reductions have been made. The curb weight of Chimera is reportedly about 1220kg, making it 200kg lighter than the Jesko’s 1420kg curb weight. With the higher power output and lower weight, we’d be eager to see what kind of speeds Chimera could hit in comparison to a standard Agera RS. Regardless of top-end performance though, it is unquestionable that the aftermarket team at Koenigsegg has created the most raw, visceral, and engaging Koenigsegg to drive in the company’s thirty year history.
What do you think of Chimera? Let us know in the comments!
Photos #3 and #5 credit to Christoffer Frennefalk.
