Koenigsegg

The story of Koenigsegg is as fascinating and unique as its cars. Inspired at the age of 5 by a Norwegian animated film about a bicycle repairman who builds a racing car, Christian von Koenigsegg grew up dreaming of creating the perfect sports car. Against all the odds - here we are.

Christian showed an early keenness for design and technical solutions. As a young boy he always pried apart video recorders and toasters just to see how the worked and if they could be improved upon.

As a teenager he was known as the best moped tuner in town and in the early 1990’s, around his 18th birthday, Christian began to work more seriously with technical innovation and came up with two interesting ideas.

One he called the Chip Player. He believed that one day computer memory chips would be able to store an entire music CD’s worth of data and that it would probably be cheaper. He therefore envisioned and conducted some patent searching for a musical device that would play chips instead of discs. In the end no one seemed interested in the idea so Christian moved on and in 1991 invented a new solution for joining floor planks together without adhesive or nails. He called it Click, since the profile enabled the planks to simply click together.

Christian showed this technology to his father-in-law, who at the time ran a flooring factory. He rejected the idea, saying that if it was a good idea someone would have already come up with it a long time ago, and no one was asking for such a product.

Christian then showed the concept to a few other floor manufacturers who also dismissed it. In 1995 a Belgian and Swedish company patented virtually exactly the same solution as Christian’s Click floor - they even called it Click! This is now a billion dollar industry.

Most of the patents that Koenigsegg hold today are Christian’s brainchildren, such as the Rocket Catalytic Converter and the Supercharger Response/Relief system.

After the Chip and Click disappointments and general boredom of running his import/export company, Christian decided that instead of chasing after the perfect business idea he would instead follow his heart, which told him to build his dream car. Christian understood that it was virtually impossible and that many had failed before him. But to him it was a mission - to create the perfect car, no matter what.

Therefore in 1994 at the age of 22, Christian launched the Koenigsegg car company and set about creating what he believed to be the ultimate car, where no technical solution was deemed too difficult.

Christian himself sketched the initial technical layout of the car and in those days he even hand-modelled everything himself, together with a few friends who helped out for meager wages.

Nowadays Christian enjoys a full R&D department with state-of-the-art equipment to help him out, but in the beginning fantasy, keenness and imagination had to suffice in order to create the first working prototype. Incredibly enough the prototype was completed in 1996 - just two years after Christian started!

The first prototype had a unique fabricated monocoque chassis with specially designed suspension, brakes, wishbones and uprights. It had a full interior with double-curved hardened side glass fitted with electric windows. Today, 12 years on, the car still drives perfectly!

Rather like his cars, Christian’s company moved at a record pace, and in the year 2002 Koenigsegg began series production of the CC8S model that was homologated and crash tested for Europe. It proved to the world that it was indeed possible for a passionate, dedicated young man to rival the old, established supercar brands.

After a fire in the original premises Koenigsegg relocated in 2003 to its present location and headquarters - a 4000 sqm former fighter jet facility, which had previously been home to the Swedish Air Force. Along with the buildings came a 1.7 km runway, which turned out to be perfect for high-speed testing. Since the runway is 50 meters wide it can also be converted into a "race track".

Many Koenigsegg customers have enjoyed the possibility of landing their private jets just outside the door of the factory. There is also a helipad in front of the main entrance for flying visits.

In the spring of 2004 Koenigsegg launched the CCR, a vehicle that left all others behind, breaking the Guinness World Record for the fastest road-going car in production by beating the Mclaren F1 by 1 kph.

In 2006 the Koenigsegg CCX took the top position and put in the fastest lap in the now famous BBC Top Gear programme. Koenigsegg were ahead - faster than all known supercars.

In 2007 Koenigsegg launched the CCXR - a 1018 bhp version of the CCX which can run on environmentally friendlier E85 Fuel. This pioneering development made it the world’s first and only green supercar

In 2008 the Koenigsegg CCX set a new 0-300-0 km/h record, completing the dash in just 29 seconds.