history
The history of Koenigsegg car company started in 1994, when Christian von Koenigsegg decided it was time for him to create the perfect sports car. This was Christian's dream, born after he watched the Norwegian puppet movie “Pinchcliffe Grand Prix” back when he was five.
At the age of 22, he stopped running the “Alpraaz” trading company, and focused on his recently founded “Koenigsegg” car company. The success of his first experience gave von Koenigsegg the necessary financial standing to launch his chosen career as a car manufacturer.
The Koenigsegg workshop was initially founded in Olofström, but in 1997 the company needed larger facilities and moved to Margretetorp.After one of the production halls was destroyed during a fire in February 2003, the workshop moved to a 4000 sqare meters land, which had previously been home to the Swedish Air Force.
The initial technical layout of the first Koenigsegg car was drawn by Christian himself, after which Industrial Designer David Crafoord scaled the sketch into a 1:5 model. He also added a personal touch to the initial design.
After the drawing was completed, the production of the Koenigsegg prototype got under way. Miraculously enough, the car was fully built by 1996. It had a unique fabricated monocoque chassis with specially designed suspension, brakes, wishbones and uprights. The prototype went through extensive testing in the first few years, and several new cars were manufactured.
In 1997, the Koenigsegg CC prototype was shown at the Cannes film festival and amazed everyone with its design and performances. This success enabled the company to go forward and engage in the creation of finished product.
In 2000, highly qualified composite engineers from SAAB, Bentley and Bugatti were hired to have the final bodywork ready by September 28. It was during that day that the all-new Koenigsegg CC was scheduled to make its first appearance at the Paris Motor Show.
One year later, the car received several design awards, among them the prestigious German Red Dot award and a prize for excellent Swedish design. The Koenigsegg CC was also voted the “Car of the Year” in the Swedish magazine “Automobil”.
In March 2004, at the Geneva Motor Show, another remarkable car manufactured by Koenigsegg made its debut: the 806 hp CCR. Only one year later, the CCR became the fastest car in the world, managing to dethrone the legendary McLaren F1 thanks to a smashing 395 km/h (245 miles per hour) record.
Achieving all these performances, von Koenigsegg showed us all that dreams can come true if you really believe in them. Questioned about the secret of this success, Christian revealed:
“I truly feel that our cars have souls. We at Koenigsegg have all poured our hearths into the creation of the cars and we are confident this can be experienced when driving one.”
expand
