The Koenigsegg CC8S is a
mid-engine
In automotive engineering, a mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine in front of the rear-wheel axles, but behind the front axle.
History
The mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive format can be considered the original layout of ...
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
produced by the Swedish automobile manufacturer
Koenigsegg
Koenigsegg Automotive AB () is a Swedish manufacturer of high-performance sports cars based in Ängelholm, Skåne County, Sweden.
Company
The company was founded in 1994 in Sweden by Christian von Koenigsegg, with the intention of producing ...
. It was the company's first production automobile and the first production car to use the company's trademark dihedral synchro-helix actuation doors. At its introduction, it won several awards, including the Guinness World Record for the Most Powerful Production Engine and design awards from both Red Dot in Germany and Utmärkt Svensk Form in Sweden.
Development
The CC8S was developed from the
CC prototype. It was the culmination of 8 years of research and development. Despite limited resources, the chassis, suspension, brakes, and several other components were designed in-house by Koenigsegg. The pre-production car was shown at the 2000
Paris Auto Show
The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...
, the public's reaction to the car was favourable and international contacts were made. The car had many unique functions such as the roof, which could be stored in the car's trunk located in the front similar to how a
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet since 1953. With eight design generations, noted sequentially from C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance and distinctive ...
stores its roof (other Targa top sports cars of the time such as the
Ferrari F50
The Ferrari F50 (Type F130) is a mid-engine sports car manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari from 1995 until 1997. Introduced in 1995, the car is a two-door, two seat targa top. The car is powered by a 4.7 L naturally asp ...
lacked this feature), vertical opening doors dubbed
dihedral synchro-helix actuation doors and a central patented free-flowing exhaust system based on the 'Rocket Cat Principle'. These unique features and design received great praise from the spectators, despite large orders, only 6 cars were produced due to high production costs out of which, 2 were right-hand drive. The CC8S was replaced by the more powerful
CCR model in 2004.
Overview
Body
The body is a two-door, two-seat
targa top
Targa top, or targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsch ...
design, meaning a portion of the roof can be removed and stored under the bonnet. The chassis is made from
kevlar
Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s a ...
-reinforced
carbon fibre
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
. The kevlar-reinforced carbon fibre semi-monocoque is attached to a steel subframe at the front of the chassis, and an aluminium subframe at the rear.
The engine, transmission, and rear suspension are mounted to the aluminium subframe. All body panels are made from carbon fibre, and
venturi tunnels and diffusers occupy the bottom of the car. These components increase downforce in conjunction with a rear-mounted spoiler. The frontal area of the car is just which accounts for the CC8S to have a low .
Engine and Transmission
The CC8S is powered by a
supercharged
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...
Ford Modular
The Ford Modular engine is Ford Motor Company's overhead camshaft (OHC) V8 and V10 gasoline-powered small block engine family. Despite popular belief that the Modular engine family received its moniker from the sharing of engine parts across nu ...
4.6–litre
DOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...
V8 engine
A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...
made of cast aluminium with
4 valves per cylinder and carbon fibre covers weighing , with a compression ratio of 8.6:1. It produces at 6,800 rpm and of torque at 5,000 rpm. The redline is set to 7,250 rpm. The engine powers the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual transmission specially developed for the car by
CIMA.
Wheels
The CC8S uses magnesium alloy wheels with center-locking hubs, to which 225/40ZR 18" front and 335/40ZR 20" rear
Michelin
Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...
Pilot Sport 2 tyres are mounted. The brake discs are cross-drilled for increased ventilation, and measure at the front and at the rear. The brake calipers contain 6 pistons in front and 4 pistons at the rear. The brakes are power-assisted by the Koenigsegg Advanced Control System.
Performance
Manufacturer estimates
* Acceleration: under 3.5 seconds
* Top speed:
* Standing : 10 seconds, trap speed
* Braking distance:
See also
*
Timeline of most powerful production cars
This list is limited to unmodified production cars which meet the eligibility criteria below. All entries must verified from reliable sources.
Eligible cars
Because of inconsistencies in the definitions of production cars, dubious claims by ...
*
Koenigsegg CC850
References
External links
CC8Sat official Koenigsegg website
Koenigsegg technical data
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koenigsegg Cc8s
Cars introduced in 2002
Cars discontinued in 2003
CC8S
Sports cars
Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles