Almost 22 years ago, nobody would have thought a small Swedish company would have what it takes to challenge the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bugatti.
And yet, Koenigsegg is a name familiar to car collectors with deep pockets these days. That’s because Christian von Koenigsegg, owner and CEO of the brand, dreamed of making some of the best vehicles on the planet.
His dream became real in 2002, when the first customer took delivery of a red CC8S at the Geneva Motor Show. Two years later, the CCR was unveiled at the same Swiss event, and in 2006, Koenigsegg introduced the CCX. The CCXR followed it in 2007, and in 2009, the automaker released the special edition Trevita, which was eventually topped by the Agera, one year later, the Agera R in 2011, and the Agera S in 2012.
Billed as the world’s first megacar, the One:1 saw the light of day in 2014, with a name inspired by its power-to-weight ratio, and a massive 1,360 PS (1,341 HP) and more than 1,000 Nm (lb-ft) of torque, produced by an in-house developed 5.0-liter V8 engine. The lump isn’t the only thing that Koenigsegg make on their own and, in fact, apart from the Michelin tires, everything else is made in Sweden.
As a final touch, the vehicle’s logo is actually the Koenigsegg family crest, which Christian doesn’t know that much about, except for the fact that it can be traced back to the 11th century, as the 44-year old man told Jay Leno, right before the two jumped inside the One:1 for a few fast laps.