The Koenigsegg CC850 was built to mark the 50th anniversary of Christian von Koenigsegg’s birth and the 20th anniversary of the CC8S, the first Koenigsegg production car. The anniversary itself is the reason for the name. The reason for the specification is more interesting: Koenigsegg gave the CC850 a nine-speed manual gearbox option – a genuinely innovative transmission that works as both a traditional manual and an automatic, offering the hypercar world’s most developed driver engagement option.
The Manual Gearbox Question
Manual gearboxes in hypercars are essentially extinct. The power levels, the speed of optimal gear changes, and the practical demands of modern performance engineering have made automated units the default. The Koenigsegg Jesko uses a nine-speed multi-clutch transmission. The Bugatti Chiron uses a seven-speed dual-clutch. Manual gearboxes in this segment disappeared during the 2000s.
The CC850’s gearbox challenges this assumption. Koenigsegg developed a nine-speed unit that can operate in both automatic mode (like a conventional twin-clutch gearbox) and manual mode, where the driver uses a traditional clutch pedal and gearstick. In manual mode, the gearbox behaves like an old-school manual: you can hold gears, change at any point in the rev range, and feel the mechanical connection between engine and drivetrain that automated systems cannot replicate.
The Powertrain
The CC850 uses Koenigsegg’s 5.0-litre twin-supercharged V8, producing 745 kW (1,014 hp) on petrol and up to 858 kW (1,167 hp) on E85 ethanol fuel. The gearbox options are 50 units in manual configuration and 20 units in automatic-only, for a total production run of 70 cars.
The 0-100 km/h time is claimed at 2.9 seconds in manual mode. Top speed is 330 km/h. For a car with a manual gearbox, these figures are extraordinary.
Design and Heritage
The CC850 is visually a modern interpretation of the original CC8S, using the same basic proportions with contemporary surfacing and active aerodynamics. The scissor doors are a Koenigsegg signature that carry through from the beginning. The body uses carbon fibre throughout.
The interior references the original CC8S with analogue gauges alongside modern digital displays – a deliberate choice that acknowledges the car’s anniversary character without making it a pastiche.
Production and Pricing
Seventy units produced globally. Pricing was approximately 3.9 million Euros before taxes and import costs. All units were pre-sold. No Australian official allocation through Koenigsegg’s dealer arrangement was available.
Any CC850 entering Australia would need to go through the grey import process, potentially using SEVS or standard compliance pathways depending on the specific configuration. In Australian dollar terms, total on-road cost would be approximately $8 million to $11 million.
The Manual Hypercar Market
The CC850 exists in a very specific market: collectors who want a manual hypercar with modern performance. The Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4 SV (manual option) is the closest previous example, and those have appreciated substantially. The CC850’s manual gearbox, Koenigsegg’s engineering reputation, and the 70-unit production run suggest it will follow a similar trajectory.
Verdict
The Koenigsegg CC850 exists because Christian von Koenigsegg wanted to celebrate two important anniversaries with a car that challenged convention – specifically, the convention that hypercars cannot have manual gearboxes. The result is a 1,014 horsepower car with a nine-speed manual that works. Whether the hypercar world needed this is a separate question; that it is technically impressive and commercially significant is not in doubt.
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