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Koenigsegg's Regera is the hybrid nemesis of Bugatti's Chiron

Imagine being wealthy enough to choose between this and Bugatti's new 1,500hp beast

Probably the wildest thing about Bugatti's new 1,500hp super sports car is that it's not alone in being able to produce that much power. There's also the Koenigsegg Regera. This car was one of the stars of 2015's Geneva Motor Show and it returns today in an even more splendorous cherry red, with over 3,000 changes under its belt and a lighter and more efficient form.

The Regera is like Bugatti's Chiron in a number of exclusive and expensive ways. Both cars use generous helpings of carbon fiber, aluminum, and titanium to lighten everything while keeping a rigid and durable structure. Both cars reach 1,500hp, and both manage to find space to fit an entire suitcase. These are obviously the two best possible choices for a high-net-worth couple in a hurry to catch its next flight out to Acapulco or Bora Bora.

Breathtakingly fast, and just as beautiful

But what distinguishes the Regera is that it's actually a hybrid, relying on a 1,100hp 5-liter V8 twin-turbo engine along with three motors — one on each rear wheel and one on the crankshaft — generating the equivalent of an extra 700hp. 0 to 100km/h is achieved in 2.8 seconds, 0 to 200km/h is yours within 6.6 seconds, 0 to 300km/h in 10.9, and Koenigsegg estimates 0 to 400km/h in under 20 seconds. When even the maker of the car isn't sure of exactly how freaking fast it is, you know you're in the presence of something unique. The Regera's maximum speed of 410km/h is RPM-limited, and sits just under Bugatti's new max speed — though Koenigsegg says it's more important who gets to those ludicrous speeds first, not who reaches the most ludicrous one.

The Koenigsegg Regera isn't just fast and technologically advanced. It's also stunningly beautiful. Every supercar manufacturer maintains that its designs are informed only by function — it's all aerodynamics this and streamlining that — but the curves on this car can't be a simple accident of efficient design. They're too sumptuous, too inviting to touch and to visually explore. In among Geneva's finest and most aggressive looking supercars, the Regera somehow manages to have a character and a look that is entirely its own — mixing friendly curves with sharp cutouts for air inlets and exhausts. It's a gorgeous, futuristic, and entirely unaffordable taste of luxury driving. There are only 80 Regeras being produced, scheduled for delivery this summer, and half of them have already been sold for prices starting at €1.8 million ($2 million).

Koenigsegg Regera at Geneva 2016

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