It wouldn’t be Monterey Car Week without the release of a limited edition hypercar that honors the past. Ferrari has done it at past shows, as have Porsche and Bugatti. 2022 was the year for one of the most exclusive car brands ever made, Sweden-based Koenigsegg, with the CC850 as a homage to the CC8S’s 20th anniversary. “The CC850 was not created to break Jesko track records or top speeds, but to be up there performance-wise and offer the highest level of driver satisfaction and enjoyment,” Koenigsegg said in a press release. “The CC850’s main goal is to be the ultimate driver’s car.”
A contemporary redesign, it celebrates Koenigsegg’s 20th year of production and the 50th birthday of the company’s founder, Christian von Koenigsegg. Want to guess the limited production numbers? Twenty would be a good guess, but 50 hits the mark. Some might call it a megacar, but let’s face it, this is a hypercar based on quantity and meaning. The CC850 has a 5.0 liter twin-turbo V8 producing an astounding 1,185 hp on gasoline or 1,385 hp on E85, which is an incredible 1:1 power to weight ratio with its 3,053-pound curb weight.
The Koenigsegg CC850 comes with a world-first Engage Shift System (ESS) that allows for gear ratio changes depending on the driving mode. Even better, the car’s Light Speed Transmission (LST) can run as a 6-speed manual or an ultra-fast 9-speed automatic, allowing the driver to be both purist and speed demon. This car is for pure Scandinavian pleasure. A detachable top and upward opening doors make this hypercar stand out, not that it wouldn’t be without them.
With its recently expanded facilities, a company that built three or four cars in its inaugural year now has the capacity to build one per week. CC850 production should begin next summer, to be built over 2.5-to-three years. This beauty costs roughly $3 million; it is a hypercar price and a membership in an exclusive club.
For more from Monterey Car Week, check out the new Aston Martin DBR22 design concept car.
