I started the day by going up from my bed, looked through the window and saw the sun is shining. Looked at the temperature and it showed only 2.5°C. ”
This is going to be a cold day”, I said to myself but it turned out to be warmer during the day but only 13-14°C.
I went to the bathroom and took a quick shower. After that I went to my computer and checked Germancarzone.com but it was time to go. I forgot to eat breakfast and just drove away.
Later I finally arrived to Ängelholm and stopped at the BMW dealer called Paulssons bil. I was the only one there and thought to myself. ”
Oh no, I hope it was 11.00 o´clock and it was here”. Finally after 10 minutes I see a BMW 850CSI coming and he parks his car on the parking lot. Just behind him comes another BMW 850 CSI, this one has Hartge rims. Both cars looked like being in good shape.
Another car comes, it turns out to be the first CSL ever , a 3.0 CSL. Big rearwing, stripes on the sides and a dark loud sound. Fun to see that old cars sounds nice. This is a classic. Another classic is coming, the old M6 from the 80´s.
I’m walking towards them and says ”
hi”. While I’m walking towards them, I hear that something is coming far away. A few seconds later I see three silver coloured M5 E60’s coming, two original and one Hartge. I noticed that the Hartge M5 sounded more than the two others, the sound was louder and darker, a very nice sound. They parked the cars, they’re getting out and we say ”
hi” and shake hands. They had driven from Göteborg and if you stay in legal speed it takes a few hours to drive from Göteborg to Ängelholm but they manage to do it in half the time. They told me that there hadn’t been much traffic and they hadn’t seen any police.
Anyway, we are waiting for Gustav to arrive with the BMW M6 and he finally arrive, just like with the M5’s you could hear the car far away and when he gets closer you can hear that the M5 and the M6 don’t sound the same. Its easy to hear that BMW tried to make the M6 sound different from the M5.
Gustav stops the car and gets out and tell us he has paper on what cars are coming. We notice that we are missing a Porsche 996 Turbo, the car finally arrive, followed by a 911 GT3. We didnt know there would be a a GT3 so it was a pleasant surprise.
A last guy arrive and its Patrik, a guy that works at Koenigsegg. He tells us that we are going to borrow their airfield and that we are going to use it for a couple of hours but first we are going to visit the Koenigsegg factory.
We decide to drive over there, I jump into the backseat of a M5 E60, Gustav takes the lead with the M6 and we are following behind him with the three M5 E60’s. First time I’m inside a M5 E60, its a comfortable backseat and exciting to finally drive away. We are driving in high speed. The sound from the V10 is marvelous, sounds much better inside the car than the outside. Much darker.
I dont know if he uses P400 or P500 mode but it’s going fast. Everytime he accelerate you can feel it in your back and everytime he change gear your head is going forward. The gearbox is fast and brutal but I bet it’s going to be tiring if you do this all the time. I notice another cool thing, when you’re braking in you hear this ”middlegas”. Something I heard before on racecars. The car is doing this by itself. Makes you wanna hear it over and over again, I love it. After a fun and a high speed adventure, we are finally here at the Koenigsegg factory.
We are all parking the cars, M5’s, M6, 850Csi and two Porsches in a row, an impressive sight. People are taking out their cameras and starting taking photos.
We are going inside Koenigsegg and Patrik tells us about the company. The guy that started Koenigsegg his name is Christian and he was 22 years old when he said he was going to build the fastest car in the world and at 22 years age, the project Koenigsegg started. Patrik also told us that a couple of months ago someone hacked their computers and when they traced it, it turned out it came from Italy. We, the people, started to speculate and asked him if it was Ferrari. He didn’t say anything, he just laughed.
He told us that the biggest market for Koenigsegg was the states and if I remember correct, most owners came from California. Also some swedes, a norwegian and russians were some of the customers.
Koenigsegg still hold the record for the fastest car in the world. Veyron claimed they done more than 400km/h but it hasn’t been verified yet so Koenigsegg is still number one. Koenigsegg is also trying to break 400km/h.
Koenigseggs goal is also to be the fastest car around Nordschleife. Porsche had the record with their Carrera GT, time 7.32 min but Pagani Zonda has now beaten the record with a half second. Koenigegg is going to Nordschleife this week and their goal is to beat both Carrera GT and Zonda F.
Before we get into the factory we have to sign some papers that we are following their rules, we are also only allowed to take photos if he approves it.
Ok, we are going in and he tells us that they are renting this place from the swedish airforce. Koeniggsegg has moved once before because the old place burned down and they lost millions. The new place is bigger and safer.
There are carbonfibre everywhere, we are allowed to lift it and it doesn’t weigh much, there are also some magnesium wheels and they dont weigh much either. Half finished Koenigsegg where there and Patrik told us the delivery time is 6 months. He tells us about the costs to build a car like this and it isnt cheap, very expensive.
We are passing a room and Patrik tells us there is a Koenigsegg LeMans but we aren’t allowed to see it cause it's a secret.
We’re ending the visit by looking at a finished CCR with 806hp, its orange and it belongs to a russian. Patrik told us, when this guy is out driving he always have 4 security cars following him around. He seem to be a very important person. We are allowed to take photos on this car.
The visit is over and we are going outside to the cars and start taking photos again.
I’m jumping inside the M5 E60 again. Patrik took the M6 and we are following with the M5. We are going fast, taking some curves in high speed. Im taking out my camera and starts filming. I thought it was going to be difficult, of course it’s a little bit jumpy but it’s okey. The driver told us we were going 170-180km/h but when I watched the movie on my computer, it looked slow but I promise, we drove fast.
We are finally here at the airfield, we are parking the cars and Gustav tells us there are going to be a photo session. The photo session takes a little bit longer than expected so me and the three M5 owners decide to go somewhere to eat hot dog and hamburgers. This time we weren’t going fast. You finally had the chance to feel that the comfort is very good and the chassi isnt very bumpy. The gearbox is set on automatic mode, no aggressive gearchanges, just soft and easy. Its hard to understand this car can be a monster after adjusting the settings. I asked him if it was difficult to learn all the settings but he said it was easy, besides he had programed his settings.
We arrive to the food stand. I see there are people there and everyone are looking. I would do the same if I saw three new M5’s coming. you felt a little bit special when people looked at you.
We order and starts to eat and I ask one of the owners what car he owned before the M5 and he answered Honda S2000 and BMW M3 E46 and I asked if he thinks it's a huge difference between the M3 and the M5. He said “yes”, a huge difference. The M5 is faster and more fun to drive and then he smiled. The guy with the M5 Hartge said that Hartge become very popular when the first pics where showned at M5board.com. Hartge has more orders then they are able to produce so it's a long waitinglist.
We are heading back to the airfield and the races are soon about to start. The owners are doing some tests so they know when they should start braking. If you dont brake you will drive into a fence and you dont want to do that with your expensive car.
I’m jumping into another M5, this time it’s the Hartge version the seats are pumping up and I feel the seats is getting tighter to my body. We are driving away, full attack, the gearbox on fastest setting and he starts to change gear. I feel the acceleration in the back and everytime he change gear, my head falls forward a little bit. We are reaching 250km/h on the speedo before its time to brake. I also manage to film one of the rides with my camera. While I’m filming, I listen to the V10 sound. A V10 in a 4-door-family-saloon car, you hardly think its true but it is.
We are getting a pleasant surprise. Christian is coming with the orange Koenigsegg CCR. He stops the car and pushing the gaspedal and what a wicked sound, I wasn’t prepared and got a little bit scared at first. You think M-cars and the Porsches are sounding high but this was totally different..what a chock.
He went out of the car and we all took pictures, I filmed the car at idle and even at idle the car sound amazing.
There was no race with the car but I understand him since the car belonged to a russian guy. He left the airfield almost immediately and hearing the car on the roads was awesome, almost like an airplane. All in all, it was a nice surprise and I will never forget it. I did a quick chat with Christian before he left and I asked what he think of the M6. He loved the car and was particulary impressed with the SMG. He was a very nice guy by the way, very down-to-earth.
The surprises aren’t over yet. Gustav finally ask me if I want to drive the M6 and without hesitating I said ”
YES!!!”.
This is the first time a ever try SMG. I have to admit, I was a little bit nervous. I asked Gustav if there are anything I should do before driving. He said its okey and started to change the settings, from P400 to P500 mode, the gears in the fastest settings. I put the stick to the right and see the letter ”N” in front of me. I click on the right padel, the one with ”+” and I see gear one is on I start to drive, slow and easy. We are leaving the airfield and approaching a big country road. Gustav tells me to hit the gaspedal to the floor when we get out on the big road. He warn me that the rear wheels might start spinning at full acceleration.
We are out on the big road- I see it showing gear one and I push the pedal to the floor and feel how I’m being pushed back in the seat. I change gear when I reach 8250rpm, letting go of the gaspedal and changing gear again and again, the speedo is showing 70km/h – 100km/h – 150km/h, I’m passing a sign showing 70km/h, a pass another sign and its showing 90km/h. I watch the HUD in front of me, its showing the speed and what gear I use. The speed is showing 150km/h, I push the pedal again and the speed is now showing 200km/h and then I stop accelerate. 200km/h on a road where the speedlimit is 90km/h. It’s crazy but fun.
Gustav notice that I let go of the gaspedal everytime I change gear and he tells me I dont need to it.
I make a left turn to go to another road and this time I see a sharp curve in front of me. I accelerate, full attack. Bam Bam it sounds when I change gear, the gaspedal to the bottom, hit the right padel again and again without lifting my foot of the gas, I’m getting closer the curve, the speed is showing 150km/h and I think to myself ”
Can you really drive this fast in a curve”, it worked. ”WOW”, the handling is brutal, the car is like glue on the road, the car felt very stable, the suspension is awesome. Again I’m reaching 200km/h before I lift the foot of the gas. You dont feel a difference if you drive in 100km/h or 200km/h. No wind or unbalance, just the V10 screaming at you.
We are going back to the airfield, the speed is showing 170-180km/h. This car is so much fun and very nimble, doesn’t feel like a big car.
Now it’s finally time for races.
They are doing rolling starts from about 80km/h
It starts with one of the M5 E60 racing the 911 GT3. The M5 owner comes back and he is smiling and saying he used P400 mode. The Porsche owner don’t know about it and comes back happy and saying it was even. The M5 owner want to do it again.
Both cars accelerate, the Porsche sounds louder than the M5. This time the M5 win the race cause this time he used P500 mode. Both comes back, the Porsche owner a little bit chocked and the M5 owner tells him that he used P500 mode and than they both start laughing.
Then its time for for a standard M5 E60 versus M5 E60 Hartge. Both cars sounds nice, the Hartge is a little bit louder. They come back and they tell us it was a little advantage for the Hartge in the end of the race.
M5 versus M6. The cars sounds a different but they are both very fast. The M6 was slightly faster than the M5.
Then it was time for M6 versus 996 Turbo. I jump into one of the M5’s and we are driving to the end of the airfield. The GT3 owner is already there. We are making some jokes that the M6 will win. Me and the M5 owner think the Porsche will win but we aren’t sure. The GT3 owner is certain that the Porsche are going to win.
We hear and see them far away and it looks like its close but it’s hard to tell. When they reach us we see the M6 is ahead of the Turbo. They are driving back to try again and this time without a rolling start.
The M6 is using the launchcontrol and the 996 Turbo is using 4WD. I have no idea who is first but they are getting closer and again we see the M6 beat the Turbo.
The Porsche owner wasn’t sulky because he lost. Gustav let him try the M6 and he comes back with a big smile and he was also particulary impressed by the gearbox.
The races are over and all the old cars are leaving the airfield so are the owners of the new M5’s.
Only the M6 and the two Porsches are still here.
I’m jumping into the passenger seat of the Porsche 996 Turbo and we are driving on the airfield, up and down. The turbo is a fast car, the power is more noticable in the Porsche than the M5’s. The car sounds a lot, shaking and noisy but an awesome car. Passing 200km/h on the airfield is no problem with this car.
Now its time for me to get a ride in the Porsche 911 GT3. This car is just like the Turbo, the ride is shaking and its very loud inside. This car also reach more than 200km/h on the airfield, we are ending it with trying out the handling on the GT3. The grip is awesome around the curves, this is a pure trackcar. We talk a little bit about the Porsches and notice that the tank in the Turbo is only 50-liters big while the tank in the GT3 is 90-liters. GT3 weigh less than the Turbo so we figured that the Turbo only have 50 liters to keep down the weight. The Turbo owner say he has to fill the tank with fuel a lot.
Gustav want to try the different chassi settings, the softest versus the hardest and film it. I jump into the passenger seat, I totally forgot to fasten the seatbelt and we drive away. A 5er E39 is filming the whole thing and it must looked funny to see me go left – right, left – right, left – right, trying to fasten the seatbelt. Gustav is slowing down and I finally succeed to fasten the seatbelt and we are doing it all over again.
The day is over, the Porsches are leaving and Gustav ask me if I want to drive the M6 back to the place where we met earlier today and I say ”yes” again.
Now its more traffic on the roads so I stay legal but its getting boring and I’m slowing down so I won’t have others in front of me.
Same wonderful feeling, full acceleration and change gear everytime I reach 8250rpm. 50km/h – 100km/h – 140km/h, checking the HUD and it shows 170km/h. I’m getting closer to a roundabout and see a police car but lucky for me, he is taking another direction. I’m glad I still have my driver-license.
Unfortunately we are back and I dont want to get out of the M6 but I have to. I’m asking them to take a picture while I’m still in the car. I’m giving the thumbs up , ”click” and I have a memory for life.
A day with a M5, M6, 996 Turbo, 996 GT3, Koenigsegg
A long but really interesting story and it's nice to have your POV on this gearbox that some testers don't like ( Jeremy ?? ) 
and also the M6 beating the 996 Turbo !! 8) Very nice !!
the ones posted inside the writeup are 600x450
Linear Mode
