Koenigsegg, a Swedish supercar manufacturer, quickly rose to prominence within a decade of its founding in 1994 by Christian von Koenigsegg, a passionate sports car enthusiast. Christian also had a passion for racing which led to the development of the Koenigsegg CCGT, a GT1 race car originally intended for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The CCGT, launched at the Geneva Auto Show in 2007, was based on the CCR and CCX models, adhering to stringent GT1 class regulations. With a carbon-fiber chassis and a 600bhp, 5.0-liter V8 engine, the car boasted impressive performance, weighing under 1,000kg and generating over 600kg of downforce.
Despite its technical brilliance, only one CCGT was built before new regulations by ACO and FIA abruptly ended its racing potential. These changes increased minimum production requirements and outlawed carbon monocoques, halting Koenigsegg’s GT1 aspirations, making the CCGT a unique, one-off creation.
Ollie Marriage from Top Gear magazine talked with Christian von Koenigsegg in their latest video where they discuss how the CCGT was developed.
