Koenigsegg history
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 southwest, 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, twinsupercharged 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.
Watch the video
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.
Watch the video
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 0300-0 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 twinturbo 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 highperformance, 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.
Watch the video.
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.
2017 Highest top speed record
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)
2019 Koenigsegg Jesko
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 twinturbo 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.
2019 Koenigsegg Regera 0-400-0 km/h Record
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.
Watch the 0-400-0 km/h record.
2020 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Unveiled
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.
Watch the launch video.
2020 Koenigsegg Gemera Launched
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.