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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In 2017, the Koenigsegg Agera RS achieved five new world records for a production vehicle on November 4th, 2017, in Pahrump, Nevada, America. Driven by factory driver, Niklas Lilja, the Agera RS attained the highest top speed for a production vehicle. Calculated using an average of two runs, one in either direction. The record speed achieved is 447.19 km/h (277.87 mph). In the same attempt, it clocked 33.29 seconds, going from 0-400-0, beating the previous time of 36.44 seconds set by the same car in Denmark in October 2017. The highest average speed for a flying kilometer on a public road was recorded, calculated after running the car in two directions, at 445.63 km/h. Lastly, it also saw the highest speed achieved on a public road (single direction), measured at 457.94 km/h (284.55 mph)
The Koenigsegg Jesko made its debut in the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show. Named after Jesko von Koenigsegg – the father of company Founder and CEO, Christian von Koenigsegg, it inherits the mantle left by the Agera RS as the leading track-focused, road-legal car for those looking for the ultimate in vehicle performance. The Jesko comes with a redesigned 5.0 liter twin-turbo V8 engine with a power output of 1280 bhp (on normal gasoline) or 1600 bhp (on E85 biofuel) and is equipped with a revolutionary 9-speed Koenigsegg Light Speed Transmission. Advanced aerodynamics offer up to 1400 kg of downforce and alongside its active rear-wheel steering, result in faster cornering, better maneuverability, improved steering feel, more grip and increased confidence.
At Råda military airfield deep in the forests of Sweden, Koenigsegg set a new 0-400-0 km/h world record when a Koenigsegg Regera completed the run in 31.49 seconds on 23rd September 2019. This was 1.8 seconds faster than Koenigsegg’s previously unbeaten record, set by the Agera RS in 2017. The car was driven by Koenigsegg factory driver Sonny Persson.
The Jesko Absolut was unveiled in 2020 as the fastest Koenigsegg that will ever be made. Its shockingly low drag coefficient of 0.278 Cd, combined with its high-speed stability optimized aero features, daily drive friendly characteristics and luggage space, make the Jesko Absolut a land-based rocket-ship determined to reach unheard-of speed in record-setting pace.
Launched in 2020, the Gemera is the world’s first Mega-GT and Koenigsegg’s first four-seater. Limited to an edition of 300 cars, it is an extreme megacar that meets spacious interior and ultimate environmental consciousness. Equipped with the Tiny Friendly Giant engine (or TFG for short) and the proven Koenigsegg Direct Drive, the Gemera has 1.27 megawatts of power and 3500 Nm of torque. It can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 1.9 seconds and to 400 km/h in record matching pace.
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