FROM PASSION TO POWER
Sweden is a country blessed, and built, with world-class engineering. The country’s fighter jets have always been at the forefront of technological development. Sweden’s transport industry has long been synonymous with exceptional quality and safety, whether it be trucks, busses, passenger vehicles or even the many small, specialist engineering companies working with the tuning and building of world-class rally cars.
It was against this backdrop that a young Christian von Koenigsegg followed a dream and launched his own car company in 1994. His sole mission: to create the perfect Supercar.
Of course, this was at a time where the Supercar was considered to be somewhat of a dinosaur, a temperamental relic from a bygone era. The world was at the end of a recession that had hit the sports car industry hard.
To Christian, however, it was a calling. He cared little about the state of the global economy or the obstacle that it might represent in the minds of others. He was busy fulfilling a dream.
THE START-UP
After the Chip Player and Click disappointments, and amidst the general boredom of running his import/export company,
Christian decided that instead of chasing after the perfect business idea, he would follow his heart. He would build his dream car. Christian understood that it was virtually impossible and that many had failed before him. But to him, it was a mission – to create the perfect car with no compromises, no limits, and no fear of failure.
In 1994, at the age of just 22, Christian launched the Koenigsegg car company and set about creating what he believed to be the ultimate car, one for which no technical solution was deemed too difficult.
Today, Koenigsegg has a full R&D department with state-of-the-art equipment to call upon. In those early days, however, Christian had to make do with self-belief, imagination and determination in order to create the first working prototype. Christian sketched the initial technical layout of the car himself and together with a small team working for meager wages, hand-modeled all components for the vehicle. The prototype was completed in 1996 – just two years after the project began.
The Koenigsegg CC prototype boasted a unique carbon body with a detachable roof. Despite very limited resources, the chassis, suspension, brakes, wishbones uprights and many other items were all custom designed for the car by Christian and his small team. The car was completely original and received a lot of attention as a result. Today, 18 years after it was first built, the car still drives perfectly!
