Every Koenigsegg wears two badges: the founder's family shield on the nose, and a ghost that fighter pilots asked the company to put on every car built at their old air base.
- Country
-
Sweden - Active
- Since 1994
- Founded by
- Christian von Koenigsegg
- Website
- Official website ↗
A boy, a film and a family name
It began with a cartoon. As a five-year-old, Christian von Koenigsegg watched Pinchcliffe Grand Prix, the Norwegian stop-motion film about a bicycle repairman who builds his own racing car and wins against the odds. Koenigsegg says the film set him on the path to building the perfect sports car.
Before that, he tried other ideas, including a music device called the Chip Player and a flooring joint called Click. Neither took off. Then, on 12 August 1994, the 22-year-old started Koenigsegg Automotive, with no track record in building cars and very little money. He named it after himself, or more precisely after his family.
The first workshop was in Olofström. In 1996 the CC concept was driven in public for the first time, at the Anderstorp race track with Rickard Rydell at the wheel. Early in 1999 the company moved to Margretetorp, into a heritage building with a thatched roof.
Fire, then a fighter jet base
In February 2003, with the company only two weeks away from showing the CC8S at the Geneva Motor Show, a fire broke out at the Margretetorp factory. Many of the earliest records were lost. That same year Koenigsegg moved to Ängelholm, to a former Swedish Air Force base that had once housed JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets. It is still the company’s home.
The move gave Koenigsegg its second symbol. More on that in a moment.
A knight’s shield and a squadron’s ghost
The main Koenigsegg badge is a shield. According to Autocar and Drivingline, it is based on the coat of arms of the Koenigsegg family, which goes back to a family member who was knighted by the Holy Roman Empire. So the emblem on the nose of every car is, quite literally, the founder’s family crest.
Then there’s the ghost. Koenigsegg explains that the Ängelholm base was home to a Swedish Air Force unit it calls the Ghost Squadron. When the company took over the site, the squadron’s pilots offered their emblem and asked that it be put on every car built there. Koenigsegg agreed, and today it calls the ghost the “Spirit of Performance”.
According to Jalopnik and Slashgear, the unit was the Johan Röd squadron, and its motto was “the show must go on”. Jalopnik adds that the ghost was painted on the squadron’s Saab AJS37 Viggen jets. On the cars, Slashgear notes, it sits on the rear above the engine bay.
Records wearing a coat of arms
Koenigsegg builds very few cars, but almost every one of them has chased a number: power, speed or weight.
Landmark Koenigseggs, from CC8S to Gemera
- 2002: CC8S. The car the 2003 fire almost kept from Geneva. Six were built, and in 2002 Guinness recognised its engine as the world’s most powerful production engine.
- 2004: CCR. With 806 hp, it set a top speed record of 387.86 km/h at Nardo in 2005.
- 2010: Agera. Named Top Gear Hypercar of the Year in 2010.
- 2014: One:1. In Koenigsegg’s words, the world’s first production car with a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio.
- 2015: Regera. Three electric motors and a twin-turbo V8, with power sent to the rear wheels without a gearbox.
- 2015: Agera RS. Set a production car top speed record of 447.19 km/h in 2017.
- 2020: Gemera. Revealed as a concept in 2020, it is Koenigsegg’s first four-seater, which the company calls the world’s first Mega-GT.
Koenigsegg is one of a small group of Swedish car brands, alongside Volvo and the late Saab. If hypercar badges are what you’re after, compare its shield with the emblems of Pagani, Bugatti and Rimac. For how badges like these come together, see how car logos are designed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Koenigsegg logo based on?
The shield badge is based on the coat of arms of the Koenigsegg family, the family of founder Christian von Koenigsegg.
Why is there a ghost on Koenigsegg cars?
Koenigsegg’s factory in Ängelholm is a former Swedish Air Force base. The squadron based there used a ghost emblem, and its pilots asked for it to appear on every car built on the site. Koenigsegg now calls it the “Spirit of Performance”.
Who founded Koenigsegg, and when?
Christian von Koenigsegg founded Koenigsegg Automotive on 12 August 1994, when he was 22.
Where are Koenigsegg cars made?
In Ängelholm, in the south of Sweden, where the company has been based since 2003.
Koenigsegg at full throttle
- Founded
- 1994
- Founder
- Christian von Koenigsegg
- Country
- Sweden
- Headquarters
- Ängelholm, Sweden
- Current emblem
- A shield based on the Koenigsegg family coat of arms, joined by the ghost of a Swedish Air Force squadron
- Known for
- Record-breaking hypercars
- Website
- Official website ↗
