Koenigsegg cars

Almost killed the Stig...

Koenigsegg cars

Koenigsegg Automotive AB is a Swedish manufacturer of high-performance cars. Initially based in Olofström, Sweden, the company is now found in Margretetorp outside Ängelholm. Koenigsegg Automotive AB was founded in 1993 by 22 year old Christian von Koenigsegg, with the intention of creating the world-class supercar Christian Koenigsegg had been dreaming about since childhood. The initial design was carried out by Christian von Koenigsegg and was a two-seater, midengine car with a hardtop, based on Formula One technology. Christian von Koenigsegg brought his original design sketches to Industrial Designer David Crafoord, who added his personal touch to the design. Later on, the model was scaled up by Sven-Harry Åkesson and the first Koenigsegg Prototype was finished in 1996.

After several years of testing, and after several new prototypes had been built, the first Koenigsegg was finally delivered to a customer in 2002. This was a red Koenigsegg CC8S and it was handed over the Geneva Auto Show. The first Koenigsegg CC prototype had been publicised in 1997, and the production prototype had been unveiled at the 2000 Paris Motor Show. During 2002, four more Koenigsegg CC8S cars were built. In 2003, Koenigsegg established itself in Asia by attending the Seoul Auto Show.

In February 2003, a fire caused one of Koenigsegg's production facilities to burn to the ground. Before the fire got completely out of control, about 15 15 Koenigsegg cars, body parts, machines and engines could be saved and transported to a nearby Swedish Airforce Base that was no longer in use. The cause of the fire was later determined to be a short-circuiting dishwasher. The fire managed to catch on very rapidly since the roof of the production facility was insulated with hay. Koenigsegg Automotive soon decided to keep production in the former facility and literary “rise from the ashes”. In 2004, the new CCR could be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show. As of 2007, the CCR and the CCX are the two most recent Koenigsegg models.

The Koenigsegg badge

The Koenigsegg badge was designed by Jacob Låftman in 1993 and is based on the traditional shield of the von Koenigsegg family. The shield has been the family's coat of arms since the 1100s, when knighthood was given to one of their ancestors by the German-based Holy Roman Empire.

Koenigsegg Records

Koenigsegg holds and has held several automotive records. In May 2003, the fist CCR in the United States received the biggest speeding ticket in the world by driving 242 mph in a 75 mph zone in Texas during the San Francisco to Miami Gumball 3000 Rally.

On February 28, 2005, a CCR attained a speed of 388.87 km/h (242.91 mph) in Nardò, Italy, thereby breaking the previous record (held by the McLaren F1). Koenigsegg kept the record until September 2005 when the new Bugatti Veyron attained a speed of 407.5 km/h (253 mph). It should however be noted that Bugatti's record was set on the Volkswagen's test track in Ehra-Lessien, a track that features a 9 km (5.6 miles) long straight. The Nardò Ring in Italy is a 12.5 km (nearly 7.8 miles) long circle, so the two records can not be fairly compared to each other.