Motorsport

The only Koenigsegg racecar ever built is going up for auction

This CCGT GT1 will be sold at Goodwood, and it’s estimated to fetch between £3m and £4m

Greg PottsPublished: 04 Jul 2023  External link to Top Gear Magazine Subscription – 5 issues for £5Skip 12 photos in the image carousel and continue reading1 / 12

Back in the 2000s, Koenigsegg engineers worked on one heck of a side project. Christian von Koenigsegg wanted to race at Le Mans, so a small team led by Dag Bölenius hand-built and developed the glorious CCGT GT1 that you see above.

Based on a CCR but with elements from the CCX, the racecar weighed under 1,000kg and generated over 600kg of downforce. Its naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 was restricted to 600bhp to meet regulations, and power was transferred to the rear wheels through an AP Racing twin-disc clutch and a sequential gearbox that was previously operated by a proper lever, but that has since been swapped out for paddleshifters. 

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There was a carbon chassis, double wishbone suspension, gas-hydraulic shock absorbers, a pneumatic pit stop lift system, carbon fibre/Kevlar body panels and carbon brakes all round, but tragically the car would never race…

Having been built between 2003 and 2007, test drives took place at Knutstorp race circuit in 2008. Unfortunately, just a couple of months later the ACO and FIA changed the rules for the GT1 class. Carbon monocoques were out and minimum production numbers went from 20 cars over several years to 350 cars per year. The Koenigsegg endurance racing dream was dead.

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