The Koenigsegg story is one of humble beginnings, dedication to a vision and an unyielding commitment to automotive perfection. Take a look at the timeline below to see where we’ve come from. The only story more exciting than where we’ve been is where we’re going in the future!
1994 – Koenigsegg Automotive is Born
On August 12, 1994, a 22-year-old Christian von Koenigsegg decided to follow his dream and build the world’s greatest super-sports car. Koenigsegg Automotive is born.
1996 – First Drive – Koenigsegg CC
It was nearly two years in the making but the Koenigsegg concept vehicle – ‘CC’ – was finally driven in public for the first time by Rickard Rydell at an event at Anderstorp race track in 1996.
Other renowned race-car drivers to test the prototype included Picko Troberg and Calle Rosenblad. All were amazed by the Koenigsegg’s outstanding performance. The concept worked. It was time to introduce Koenigsegg to prospective buyers.
1997 – Success at Cannes
The Koenigsegg CC prototype was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and its success was immediate. Satisfactory test results from earlier driving, combined with the great media coverage at Cannes, enabled the company to go forward and engage in the creation of a finished product.
1998 – A New Home
In 1998, Koenigsegg moved from their original workshop on the south-east coast town of Olofstrom, to a new workshop in the south-west, in a town called Margretetorp.
2000 – Koenigsegg’s Motor Show Debut in Paris
The first Koenigsegg production prototype made its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in September, 2000. The car on show was the first ever Koenigsegg CC8S production prototype, which later became the test car and crash-test car that enabled Koenigsegg to homologate vehicles for sale. It featured an early version of the 655hp Koenigsegg engine that would later feature in customer cars.
2002 – Koenigsegg CC8S
The first CC8S, which means CC V8 Supercharged, was built in 2002 and delivered at the Geneva Motor Show in March, 2003.
Its minimalistic, clean, styling set it apart from its peers and it laid the foundation for every future Koenigsegg in terms of aesthetics, philosophy, and functionality. Six examples of the CC8S were produced in total, making it one of the rarest Koenigsegg models ever. Two of those six cars were right-hand drive.
2002 – World’s Most Powerful Production Engine
In 2002, the engine in the Koenigsegg CC8S was certified by Guinness World Records as being the most powerful engine in a series produced car, in the world. The engine produced 488kW (655hp).
2003 – Fire!
The Koenigsegg factory at Margretetorp was a historic building with a thatched roof. While the roof made the building quite pretty, it was also very susceptible to fire. That fire happened in February 2003. The company was only two weeks away from showing the CC8S at the Geneva Motor Show. Thankfully, even though it was a Saturday, there were members of staff on site who managed to save vehicles and tooling from the flames. Many company records were lost, however.
2004 – Koenigsegg CCR
The Koenigsegg CCR was an evolution of the CC8S, produced between 2004 and 2006. 14 examples were built. The CCR featured an upgraded body design with a larger front splitter, a rear wing, larger brakes, larger wheels and tires plus an upgraded chassis and suspension setup. The CCR also had a more powerful, twin-supercharged engine, producing an astonishing 806 hp.
2004 – World’s Most Powerful Production Car
The Koenigsegg CCR outdid the record set by the Koenigsegg CC8S in 2002. The CCR was equipped with an uprated engine, which added more than 150hp for a total output of 806hp. Guinness World Records verified this output and this record in 2004.
2005 – World’s Fastest Car
The world’s fastest car at the beginning of 2005 was the legendary McLaren F1, with a speed of 386.4 km/h set in 1998.
Koenigsegg took the new CCR to Nardo, Italy, in February 2005 to attempt a new record. The car had been at Nardo for a week without breaking the record but the new mark was finally set on the last day, with a new top speed of 387.86 km/h recorded. The car was packed up and shipped directly from Nardo to Geneva for the 2005 Geneva Motor Show that afternoon.
2006 – Koenigsegg CCX
The Koenigsegg CCX looks like its predecessor, the CCR, but it was no mere evolution. While it retained the traditional Koenigsegg layout – mid-engined V8, carbonfibre tub with a removable and stowable roof – the CCX was a completely new car. It was slightly larger, designed from the ground up with worldwide homologation in mind and meeting all world standards for safety and emissions. The CCX was the first Koenigsegg to be sold into the United States market.
2006 – CCX Record at Top Gear Test Track
The dominance of the CCX was best demonstrated on the popular BBC motoring show, Top Gear. The CCX took the record at Top Gear’s test track in 2006 and this record remained unbeaten by any global series production cars for the next 7 years. The CCX also set a Top Gear top speed record in 2006, reaching 196mph.
2007 – Koenigsegg CCXR
The world’s first ‘green’ supercar was launched in 2007 with the worldwide debut of the Koenigsegg CCXR. The CCXR took Koenigsegg’s potent twin-supercharged V8 to a whole new level thanks to a flex-fuel sensor and hardware allowing the car to run on either regular gasoline, E85 (85% ethanol) or any mix in between. The higher octane rating of E85 fuel lifted the total output of the CCXR to 1,018hp, a record at the time. The CCXR also debuted Koenigsegg’s new Chrono instrument cluster, providing advanced safety and aesthetics.
One CCXR model was specially built to allow it to run on E100 fuel. It features a blue ‘R’ badge on the side flank instead of the traditional green.
2007 – Koenigsegg CCGT
The 2007 Geneva Motor Show also saw the public debut of the Koenigsegg CCGT race car. The CCGT was developed as a side project with the ambition of racing in the GT1 class at Le Mans. Weighing just under 1,000kg and with a naturally aspirated V8 engine making 600hp, the CCGT was very impressive in testing and looked to be very competitive.
Sadly, Koenigsegg’s racing ambitions were quashed when the FIA changed the regulations for the GT1 class, imposing bigger minimum build numbers that Koenigsegg was unable to meet.
2008 – Koenigsegg CCX and CCXR Edition
Koenigsegg launched the CCX ‘Edition’ and CCXR ‘Edition’ models at the Geneva Motor Show in March, 2008. The Edition models were shod with a beautiful clear-carbon body, Edition 11-spoke wheels, bespoke aerodynamics and specially tuned suspension to further improve the CCX and CCXR’s already legendary handling. The CCX Edition received a slight horsepower bump up to 888hp, whereas the CCXR Edition’s output remained at 1,018hp. There were 4 CCXR Editions made, and just 2 CCX Editions.
2008 – CCX Speed Records
The Koenigsegg CCX set several new speed records in 2008 with Horst von Saurma, editor of Sport Auto magazine behind the wheel.
The Koenigsegg CCX set a new performance benchmark for 0-300-0 km/h, completing the run in just 29.2 seconds. Even today, many high performance cars only reach the 300 mark in such a time, let alone the braking segment.
The CCX also accelerated from 0-200 km/h in 9.3 seconds.
2009 – Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita
Koenigsegg announced a limited edition in September 2009 – the CCXR ‘Trevita’. The Trevita featured a special proprietary white carbonfibre weave, developed by Koenigsegg especially for this model. Trevita means ‘three whites’ in Swedish and the original intention was to build an edition of three cars. Only two were built, however, tying the Trevita with the CCX Edition as the most exclusive limited run in Koenigsegg’s history.
2009 – CCXR Special Edition
The CCXR Special Edition was specifically commissioned to see off the CCX-range in style before the arrival of the Agera. The Special Edition featured a special double F1 wing, all-clear-carbon body work, Agera-style rear wheel venting, revised aerodynamics, Koenigsegg’s first ever paddle-shift transmission and a new touchscreen infotainment system for the interior. It was a true bridge between the CCX and Agera models and with just two examples made, it remains one of the rarest Koenigsegg models ever.
2010 – Koenigsegg Agera
Agera means “to take action” and there has never been a more appropriate name for a car. The Koenigsegg Agera, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010, was Koenigsegg taking action – moving the brand forward into bold, new territory.
The Agera featured a new interior highlighted by Koenigsegg’s new ‘ghost’ lighting system. It had Koenigsegg’s new VGR wheels, designed like turbines to extract heat from the car’s brakes. It also marked the change from twin-supercharging to twin-turbocharging. Koenigsegg completely redesigned its exhaust system to virtually eliminate turbo-lag, opening up a world of power-potential while still retaining a light, compact engine package. This allowed the first Ageras to complete with a full 960hp and over 1,100Nm of torque – more than enough to ‘take action’ whenever you need.
The Agera won the Top Gear Hypercar of the Year award in 2010.
2011 – Koenigsegg Agera R
By 2011, Koenigsegg had already been working with ethanol fuels for four years and it was only natural that the Agera would receive an engine capable of working with this power-boosting jungle juice. Thus, the Koenigsegg Agera R was born.
The Agera R could run on any fuel from 95 octane pump gas to E100 biofuel. It produced 960hp on regular 95 octane but this output jumped to a massive 1,140hp on either E85 or E100, with 1,200Nm of torque.
2011 – Koenigsegg Agera R 0-300-0 Record
In 2008, the Koenigsegg CCX set a time of 29.2 seconds for the 0-300-0 km/h run. That’s amazingly fast, even by today’s standards.
The Koenigsegg Agera R showed just how far the company had progressed in three short years, with a 0-300-0 time of just 21.19 seconds. Margins should be small at the sharp end of the performance segment, but this was a massive 8 second improvement and far ahead of any competitor times.
2012 – Koenigsegg Agera S
The Koenigsegg Agera S was configured in 2012 for markets where the biofuels needed for maximising output in the Agera R were not available. Thanks to new engine mapping and hardware, the Agera S was the first Koenigsegg to make over 1,000hp on regular, 95 octane pump gasoline, with maximum output of 1,040hp.
The Agera S also saw the debut of Koenigsegg’s AirCore hollow carbonfibre wheels. These revolutionary news wheels weighed 40% less than regular alloy wheels – a massive saving in un-sprung weight that provides both acceleration and handling benefits. Koenigsegg was the first manufacturer to offer carbonfibre wheels on factory built cars and is still the only OEM making its own carbonfibre wheels in-house.
2014 – Koenigsegg One:1
The Koenigsegg One:1 was the first production car in history to feature a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. Truly revolutionary.
Around 100kg was shaved from the already-light Agera R to bring it down to 1,360kg. Koenigsegg matched this with a 1,360hp twin-turbo V8 engine when run on E85 biofuel. The One:1 was the most extreme Koenigsegg ever made, offering blistering acceleration along with an amazing 2g of lateral grip.
Examples of features that were especially developed for the One:1: unique track-optimized aero winglets, extended venturi tunnels and side splitters, Le-Mans inspired and top-mounted active wing configuration and optimized active under trim air management. Large air vents for improved cooling, roof air scoop to support the 1 Megawatt of power, 8250 RPM rev limit, complemented with custom-made Michelin Cup Tires, upgraded rear Triplex suspension with carbon bevel springs and active shock absorbers and ride height management.
The One:1 claimed lap records at Spa-Francorchamps and Suzuka Circuit in 2015. Six customer cars were built, along with one factory development car.
2015 – Koenigsegg Regera Debut
Koenigsegg announced a new revolution at Geneva 2015, with the launch of the all-new Koenigsegg Regera. The Regera features three electric motors combined with a powerful twin-turbo V8 and a high-performance, ultra-light battery pack to produce over 1,500hp. Even more amazing is that all of this power is sent directly to the rear wheels as the Regera has no gearbox.
The Regera uses a system called Koenigsegg Direct Drive, which uses the electric motors to propel the car at takeoff with the combustion engine contributing drive from around 30km/h and beyond. The transition from electric to combustion drive is progressive and seamless, providing both blistering performance and the ultimate in comfort.
Koenigsegg will build 80 Regeras in total over a period of five years.
2015 – Koenigsegg Agera RS
Koenigsegg used the Geneva Motor Show in March 2015 to show the new Koenigsegg Agera RS. The Agera RS took everything that Koenigsegg learned in the development of the extreme One:1 and dialled it back – just a notch – to make a more comfortable version of Koenigsegg’s extreme road and track monster.
The Agera RS features Koenigsegg’s highest ever output running only on regular 95-octane gasoline – 1160hp. It is also a technology powerhouse with advanced aerodynamics, stability management, software updates and active suspension settings stored in the Koenigsegg cloud. All of this is developed and managed in-house at Koenigsegg.
The Koenigsegg RS is fully homologated for sale in all countries and 25 units will be produced.
2015 – 0-300-0 km/h in the Koenigsegg One:1
In 2008, the Koenigsegg CCX did the 0-300-0 km/h run in 29.2 seconds. In 2011, the Koenigsegg Agera R did the same run in 21.19 seconds.
In July 2015, the Koenigsegg One:1 shaved more than three seconds from the Agera R’s time, recording an amazing 17.95 seconds. That’s from zero to 300 km/h and then back to zero – a pure test of both acceleration and braking.
2016 – Agera Final
Koenigsegg announced a grand finale for the Agera model line with a limited edition of three Agera Final models .
The Agera Final edition is based on the Koenigsegg Agera RS but offers unparalleled levels of customisation. Owners will be able to specify any equipment from the Koenigsegg options list – free of charge – and Koenigsegg will also work with owners to develop bespoke aerodynamics that will only ever be used on their car. It is the ultimate expression of the Agera philosophy.
The first Agera Final edition was built in time for the 2016 Geneva Motor Show and is called the One of One. The two remaining Agera Final editions will be built at the end of the Agera RS production run.