Niklas Lilja

Swedish racing driver and Koenigsegg factory test driver who drove the Agera RS during its 2017 production-car top-speed and 0–400–0 km/h record runs on a closed public road in Nevada.

Born on 22 November 1984, Lilja was described in an April 2017 STCC report as a 32-year-old Stockholmer living in Munka-Ljungby, outside Ängelholm. The report says he made his STCC debut as a chief mechanic in 2006, worked with Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia teams, and began racing in Trofeo Abarth in 2011. It credits him with Swedish titles in 2012 and 2013 and the 2015 European title.

LMP Engineering AB was registered on 12 February 2008; its present name was registered on 12 January 2009. STCC reported in April 2017 that Lilja worked as a test driver for Koenigsegg. He entered that season’s STCC opener at Ring Knutstorp in a Honda Civic TCR leased from Sportpromotion for LMP Engineering. DriverDB lists him second in Swedish GT GTB in 2016 and third with Euroracing in 2018.

On 1 October 2017, Lilja drove a customer-owned Agera RS from 0 to 400 km/h and back to rest in 36.44 seconds at Vandel Airfield in Denmark. The car had Koenigsegg’s 1MW engine upgrade, rated at 1,360 hp, and a removable roll cage. On 4 November he drove the same car on closed Highway 160 near Pahrump, Nevada, to 277.87 mph averaged over two directions and 33.29 seconds for 0–400–0 km/h.