One of just seven Koenigsegg One:1 units ever built has been involved in a heavy crash at the Nürburgring.
The automaker confirmed the incident and added that the driver had been taken to hospital. He was later released having escaped serious injury.
The 5,0-litre bi-turbo V8 One:1 was being hustled around the circuit as part of “ongoing vehicle development and for an attempt at a Nürburgring lap record at some time in the future”, according to Koenigsegg.
That Nordschleife production car record, of course, currently belong to the Porsche 918 Spyder.
“A Koenigsegg is an extreme performance car and must be tested accordingly. This is an inherently dangerous undertaking that must be conducted progressively and methodically, working point by point on all areas of our highly adjustable vehicles,” the automaker said in a statement.
“Our primary concern is always driver safety and any testing is structured and conducted accordingly. This incident is confirmation of just how difficult it is to drive at this level on the world’s ultimate proving ground.
“Obviously we are dismayed with this development but pleased that our safety systems worked as designed to protect our driver,” the brand added.
The statement made no mention of a possible cause of the crash, but reports suggest the rear-wheel drive vehicle was carrying too much speed into a particular section of the track, prompting the driver to slam on the brakes, which in turn saw the wheels lock up.
Check out the after-the-fact footage below to see the extent of the damage.
