Koenigsegg CC8S History

The CC8S (Competition Coupe V8 Supercharged) was Koenigsegg's first series-production vehicle, with the first car completed in 2002 and deliveries beginning at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show. Only six examples were built, making it one of the rarest production cars ever made.

Its supercharged 4.7-liter Ford-based V8, tuned to 655 hp, earned a Guinness World Record in 2002 for the most powerful engine in a production car. The CC8S established the template for all subsequent Koenigsegg models: an ultra-light carbon-fiber construction, a centrally mounted engine, a targa-style removable roof panel that stores in the front hood, and a Swedish focus on craftsmanship over excess production volume.

The car's predecessor was the CC concept first publicly driven in 1996, which demonstrated viability and attracted the customers who funded the CC8S production run. The tiny run did not prevent Koenigsegg from making an immediate mark: the CC8S was fast enough to push the company onto the world-fastest-production-car stage it would occupy for years.