Twenty years after Koenigsegg launched its first production supercar, the CC8S , the Swedish automaker has unveiled a spiritual successor called the CC850 . Technically, it's not just a rebodied Jesko , as this new hypercar offers some exciting new features...
The world premiere of the new CC850 coupe took place via a video in which founder Christian Von Koenigsegg recounts the brand's incredible story since its launch and mentions the fact that the Jesko has been sold out for some time. The new CC850 thus becomes the latest hypercar to enter production.
Very similar in shape to the original CC8S , the CC850 is what Koenigsegg calls a continuation car, although its chassis is different. This similar shape follows what the founder calls the timeless design of the original car. The 50 in CC850 signifies the fact that only 50 examples will be built.
Among other new features, this car has a unique manual transmission. This gearbox makes it something Koenigsegg calls " TWMPAFMPC " or "the world's most powerful and fastest manual transmission production car." Koenigsegg emphasizes how difficult it is to make a manual hypercar these days due to regulations and other factors. So Koenigsegg really pushed the idea to make its gearbox behave and handle like a traditional stick shift. You can feel the interaction with the clutch disc in your leg when you interact with the pedal and you can feel the gears in your hand when you operate the shifter on the gate. Still, this gearbox is the same as the Lightspeed gearbox found in other Koenigsegg cars but it has been adapted to be used as a six-speed manual. Since the original Lightspeed transmission had nine speeds, Koenigsegg had to innovate to provide different ratios depending on the type of driving you are engaged in.
The innovation in question is called KESS , or Koenigsegg Engaged Shift System . The brand even says you can stall or burn out just like with a normal manual transmission. What's interesting is that you can also simply put everything in automatic via the D position on the grid! In short, it's a bit like the best of all worlds that Koenigsegg has brought together in one box...
But the CC850 isn't just a CC8 with a new gearbox. Its V8 develops 1,385 horsepower and 1,385 Nm of torque when fueled by E85, while weighing in at just 1,385 kg. That's not as powerful as the Jesko , but that's thanks to smaller turbos that allow for zero lag, according to Koenigsegg . Brave new world, we tell you...
To watch the launch again, click here !
Text - the sports car
