There is a whimsical shop in a faraway land, a mysterious magician works in a tiny shop with dozens of helpers, all speaking a strange, foreign tongue. For a heafty fee, these soothsayers can redefine the world.
Sounds like a fantasy? Obviously it should, considering I spent 15 minutes rewording that to make it almost obnoxiously clear.
But my effort is not without reason. In the Swedish town of Ängelholm, the now-megacar manufacture Koenigsegg produces some of the worlds most fantastic, dare I say magical, cars.
With a yearly production of 25 cars, vehicles bearing the marques badge are no doubt works of art. Each car rolling out of a decommissioned Swedish Air Force hanger.
At the Geneva Auto Show in 2014, Koenigsegg unveiled its coup de grâce- the One:1. Arriving a year after the McLaren P1 and the dimly named Ferrari LaFerrari, the One:1 didn’t redefine the supercar game- it created the Megacar game.
With an engine output of 1360PS, on a chassis of 1360 KG (1341 bhp to 2998 lbs for us Americans), the Koenigsegg became one of the first production cars to have a perfect power-to-weight ratio of One-to-One. Which, if you hadn’t guessed, is where the name comes from.
Also worth mentioning- the power output of 1360PS is also equal to 1000kW- or 1 Megawatt. Not only did this make the One:1 the most powerful car in the world until the arrival of the 1500PS (1479HP) Bugatti Chiron 2 years later, it became the worlds first production Megacar.
The One:1 is based off Koenigsegg’s Agera chassis, which just finished production this year. However this is not some “hopped up” version of the standard car- from splitter to wing, the car was redeveloped with one goal in mind: “Go faster”.
With only 6 cars being built (and an extra prototype car), the One:1 vastly influenced the succeeding Agera RS (which happens to currently own the land speed record of 277mph) and Agera “Final” editions, each taking the One:1’s engine, carbon fiber “Aircore” wheels, and aerodynamics inspired by the One:1.
Even the absolutely bonkers Regera shares quiet a bit of its technology with the One:1.
However, even 4 years later, the final Agera rolling off the Koenigsegg production line is still slower then the monsterous One:1.
The 1:18 Autoart model shown here is a model of the 6th and final One:1 chassis, and the #112 chassis to roll out of that retired Swedish military hanger.
This car also happens to be the ONLY One:1 in the United States, making it an even rarer unicorn.
Anyway, enough about the car, and onto the model itself. As I stated earlier, this is a 1:18 scale model made by Autoart. While I did cross-shop this with Frontiart, my love for the car didn’t warrant the additional money of the Frontiart.
While the Agera’s “bland” appearance may be off putting to some, I have always been a huge fan of the simple elegant lines of the Agera R. The One:1’s aggressive aero took a design I already loved and turned it to 11.
While Autoart also sells the “prototype” version, the much better known car in Silver-Black-Orange, I decided on the white-black-red car because I’m an absolute sucker for photoshopping color pop.
Yep. I may be a bit of a one trick pony as far as my photoshop skills, and while taste is certainly subjective, I personally walk away pleased with the results. I additionally bought this version over the silver was to match/commemorate my Dads now-gone White GTI which some of you may remember from this post:
(Since then, it’s been replaced with a 2018 Midnight Blue GTI.)
This is my first Autoart, and first opening model. The Roof is also removeable, allowing easy access to take pictures of this cars beautiful interior.
While the photoshop of this picture makes the leather look blue blue, I can assure you, the interior is all black with red trim.
The seatbelts in particular are incredibly cool, and separate parts. Even the sills got attention, with (presumably accurate) One:1 details.
As some of you may know, this is my second high quality 1:18 model, my first being a 1:18 Spark Porsche GT2 RS. Since I’m headed off to college by the end of the month, this car was not only a going-away gift to myself, but is intended to be displayed in my dorm since the Porsche is staying home.
Which, speaking of the Porsche, oh yeah, you know I had to bring it out to play:
(This picture represents 3 of my most valuable possessions- the third being the iPhone X taking the picture).
So how do the 2 compare? I’ll be upfront- the AutoArt is slightly... underwhelming. Both models are resin, with the Spark being sealed while the Koenigsegg is fully opening.
However, the sealed Spark is noticeably heavier, and feels much more upscale.
While keeping in mind the Porsche retailer for $130 more then the Koenigsegg, the Koenigsegg still let me down on my expectations of Autoart.
While the opening features were VERY helpful in taking interior shots, having to keep the interior clean on the Koenigsegg has proven to be quiet the challenge.
Having to edit out all the dust imperfections on the seats alone took as much time as photoshopping the rest of the pictures combined.
Additionally, the Spark has a lot more to make it special. While the Spark had a serial number (614 of 1911), the Koenigsegg didn’t even come with a Certificate of Authenticity (I know some Autoarts come with them- and while I expected one, after watching unboxing videos, this model doesn’t come with one).
And while the Spark came with a case, I had to buy one off eBay for the Koenigsegg (which by the way, visit bufordsbarncars on EBay- this is a fantastic lighted case).
The Spark’s paint looks absolutely fantastic compared to the Koenigsegg, but I’ll chalk that up to the Koenigsegg being pure white gloss over the Spark’s silver.
I won’t say it’s all doom and gloom however. The Koenigsegg has a quality about it that makes it more “toy like”. There is a feeling of durability in the Autoart that the Spark doesn’t have. I keep the Spark covered by microfiber cloth intended for eyeglass normally (on display), while the Autoart is displayed “freely”.
Combine that with its turning wheels, there is a lot more flexibility in positioning the car for photos over the Spark.
Anyway, I hope you like my pictures! Since I’m headed off to college, this will be replacing my 1:1 car as the subject of my recreational photography, so you guys are likely going to see quiet a bit more of it.
