All New Koenigsegg CC850 – Brilliant and Revolutionary

Christian Von Koenigsegg has done it again, the legendary carmaker has revealed their latest hyper, the Koenigsegg CC850, alongside their already monumental line up which includes the likes of the Koenigsegg Jesko, Jesko Absolut, Gemera, Regera and now the Koenigsegg CC850. Although this one comes with a catch, it has a limited production run of 50 cars that will ever be made. The Swedish automaker continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the automotive industry!

Inspired by their original CC8S, the first Koenigsegg that was ever made, the most powerful homologated production car in the world for its day with 655hp, which by today’s standards in 2022 is comparable to to the likes of a fast wagon or SUV, but back then it was roughly 200hp more than the Ferrari’s of the day and also broke the Guinness world record for the most powerful car in the world.

Moving forward, 20 years on, there couldn’t be a more fitting car to take inspiration from to showcase how far the company has come since its foray into the supercar world. The unveiling of the Koenigsegg CC850. If you breakdown the name the CC8 stands for Competition Coupe, 8 for the number of cylinders, and the 50 representing the celebration of the founder, Christian Von Koenigsegg’s recent 50th birthday, which also made perfect sense to make 50 units the total amount of Koenigsegg CC850’s to be produced.

The Koenigsegg CC850 Specs

The CC850 is based entirely on the latest innovations and technologies that have been developed over the years and implemented into their latest hypercars. The technology seen in the Koenigsegg CC850 can predominantly be seen in the likes of the Jesko.

One of the most exciting features of the Koenigsegg CC850 is the ability to drive the car in full manual mode by utilizing the 6-speed gated manual and a clutch pedal or you also can drive it in a fully automatic mode. Not only have they shown the world that the manual is still alive, but they’ve brought it back into the supercar/hypercar realm and have also taken it a step further to show what’s possible in the future.

The Koenigsegg CC850 specs are mind-blowing, with an insane power-to-weight ratio of 1 to 1 just like their iconic engineering marvel the Koenigsegg One:1. The Koenigsegg CC850 weight comes in at the scales at a very light 1,385kg (3053lbs) and of course, complimented by 1,385hp. On top of that, the torque figure is coincidentally 1,385nm (1,020 lb-ft). Does this make it a 1:1:1? The holy trinity of ratios?

The engine itself is a 5.1L Bi-Turbo V8 DOHC with peak torque achieved at 4,800 RPM and peak power at 7,800 RPM. If you like to geek out on tech specs a bit, the compression ratio is 8.71:1 and the car is producing 173.125hp per cylinder. All of this and the fact that the total power output is 1,385hp means that this is the world’s most powerful manual transmission car ever produced.

All that power coming out of a Bi-Turbo V8 produced by Koenigsegg means that the CC850 sounds phenomenal, the exhaust note that comes out of it is orchestral, which is everything you’d expect from a hypercar of this caliber. When revving not only does it sound amazing, interestingly you’ll notice how quickly the RPM’s rise and drop, this is no coincidence, the Koenigsegg CC850 is also the fastest revving production engine in the world.

Of course, we can’t leave handling out of the equation and this is something Koenigsegg puts a particular focus on when engineering their cars. The handling would be superb (not that I’ve tested it) as it contains double wishbone suspension in the front and rear with a sizeable tire fitted at both ends of the car. There’s a 265/35/20 in the front and a 325/30/21 in the rear and seems like the car comes fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R’s as standard, only the best for the best.

Dimensionally, the car’s length is 4,364mm, width is 2024mm and height sits at 1127mm with a wheelbase of 2700mm.

From a sustainability standpoint, the Koenigsegg CC850 runs on a renewable fuel source, in this case, E85, which of course helps the car achieve its power figures. Supposedly if you fill it up with normal octane gas, the then power figure drops ever so slightly by 200hp to 1,185hp. This is great to see the big names in the hypercar world adapting as emission compliance laws become tougher and tougher, as it gives us some hope that the combustion engine may stick around for longer than anticipated with the harsh government regulations being imposed across the world.

Not only are all the ratios are perfectly aligned at 1:1:1 (HP, Torque, and Weight) so is Koenigsegg’s idealogy behind combining the best of both worlds in terms of transmissions, with this car, they’ve decided that you can have your cake and eat it too.

Koenigsegg CC850 Specs in a Table

For the Koenigsegg CC850 speed is key, but to achieve such numbers as the Koenigsegg CC850 top speed, estimated around 300mph, below are all the parts to the equation that help it get there:

Koenigsegg CC850 Gearbox – Best of Both Worlds

Fundamentally the underpinnings are essentially what you’d get in a Jesko, being a 9-speed LST (Light Speed Transmission), but with the ability to utilize an automatic function. Interestingly the weight of the Koenigsegg CC850 gearbox is an engineering feat of its own, being able to achieve a minimal weight which is comparable to a 6-speed gearbox whilst containing 3 extra gears.

When moving through the different modes of the car, the transmission ratios adapt according to the mode you’re in to optimize the experience. When you’re in race mode, there’s a very tall first gear, which is the equivalent of 3rd gear in normal mode, then all other gears are shorter gears so they’re more usable as you attack the track.

In the normal driving mode, utilizing the manual shifter, the first gear is essentially the second gear within the Koenigsegg CC850 Gearbox, and the other gears are adapted accordingly to match the optimal driving experience, for example, the next gear utilized in the gearbox is the 4th gear which is an exact match for the ratio in a six-speed gearbox. This is all a lot to take in and I’m sure is a lot more complex than just explaining it like this, but the summarised version is, Koenigsegg has managed to create the optimal driving experience, transforming a 9-speed gearbox into a 6-speed manual with a clutch, then a fully automatic 9-speed experience when desired.

You may be thinking, how do you get it from manual to auto drive modes, well it’s quite simple, you utilize the shifter for everything. You have a gated shifter with 8 slots, and 6 gates are utilized for gears 1 – 6 when driving in manual or if you push it to the far right of the gated shifter you have the reverse and drive gears for automatic.

There’s no fancy trickery going on with the manual side of things, the clutch functions exactly as you’d expect in a traditional manual, the clutch engages directly with the gearbox and engages each gear one to one.

It is a simple exercise to transition between the two modes by utilizing the shifter. This also means if you’ve been driving double-clutch and automatic gearboxes your whole life and decide to learn on the Koenigsegg CC850, it will stall if you don’t balance the clutch and gas pedal properly. But if that’s not your thing, just pop it over into drive, it’s as easy as that. That is if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one of the 50 being produced.

And just to perfectly round off this gearbox segment and showcase that this is a legitimate manual setup and that the Koenigsegg CC850 pedals actually contain a 3rd clutch pedal, the picture just above is a close up of the pedal box containing the accelerator, brake and clutch.

Designing the Koenigsegg CC850 – Back to the Future

The styling on the Koengingsegg CC850 is nothing short of stunning, with its sleek lines and modern undertones giving it the slightest hint of something retro without looking old. It is the perfect homage to the car that started it all. The designers perfectly implemented their perspective of what a modern CC8S would look like with all the underpinnings of their modern Sweedish innovations. A respectful and captivating lens on what you’d imagine a car that is based on such a great history over 20 years should be.

Looking at the CC850 head-on gives you an aggressive yet approachable impression and invites your eyes to flow along the body lines down the side of the car. As you progress down the side of the car, the body lines ooze with sleek aerodynamics and stylistic points that are both functional and appealing, and throughout making you reminisce on the car that started it all.

Elements of carbon fiber are presented tastefully, from the side mirrors, front splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser. Some manufacturers get carried away with carbon these days, but the Koenigsegg CC850 mixes it perfectly through all the right components of the car.

As we move to the back of the Koenigsegg CC850, the rear lights are a beautifully sculpted representation of the hypercar from 2002, complemented by a sweeping back and a diffuser that finishes the rear end off nicely. To stick with the smooth flowing lines and aesthetic of the car, they’ve also hidden the rear wing into the bodywork of the car, which provides active aero much like the Koenginsegg Jesko.

Now onto the final and one of my favorite pieces of the exterior, the wheels, with such a classic design and modern interpretation of it, the wheels tie everything together whilst showcasing the monstrous carbon ceramic brakes and calipers. From the side view, everything works so seamlessly together, it’s truly a piece of art.

I hesitate to say this as my opinion is usually the opposite, but I wouldn’t feel too disappointed if someone just collected, admired it and drove it only on a very special occasion. But on second thought, that would be a waste. As without disrupting the lines of the car too dramatically, you can remove the roof which further enhances the experience and the sound of the orchestra coming out from the engine note, which would honestly make it even harder to justify keeping it in a garage.

The Koenigsegg CC850 Interior

The interior of the car is typical Koenigsegg, it’s essentially what you’d expect in their modern cars such as the Jesko but the key difference and centerpiece obviously being the gated manual shifter in the middle.

With carbon throughout and an eye-catching chrono cluster for the speedometer which was inspired by swiss watchmakers, it celebrates the analog feel of the car that the Koenigsegg CC850 interior was aiming to achieve through the integration of a manual experience.

From gorgeous carbon race seats to a perfectly designed interior that surrounds you, they’ve made it a place that you’d never want to leave, something truly special.

Our Verdict on the Koenigsegg CC850

The Koenigsegg CC850 is the perfect example of a homage to an older car that we all remember from our earlier years. The poster car that was on the wall in all of our bedrooms and something all car enthusiasts marvelled at and discussed the insanity of what it was for the time. At first glance, my friends and I truly thought it was a CC8S until we began to discover all the updated details that were implemented throughout the Koenigsegg CC850, which is exactly what a homage to the car that started it all should be.

The Koenigsegg CC850 is absolutely unmistakable in terms of what it represents, the designers, engineers, and entire team at Koenigsegg have subtly implemented all of the modern innovations and updates they’ve created throughout the last 20 years since the company’s inception.

This is quite easily one of my favorite new cars that have been released in 2022 and will continue to be in my top 3 for many years to come. I hope this paves the way for the future in terms of the way manufacturers create a homage to their past icons, as well as gives us hope for the combustion engine for decades to come. Thank you Koenigsegg.

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Alfio Capicollo