Koenigsegg CC850 Honors The Original CC8

Koenigsegg's first production car, the CC8, has already been around for 20 years, after it was revealed in 2002. To commemorate this groundbreaking supercar, the Swedish brand has unveiled the CC850, which is essentially a modern-day version of the original. But despite the similarities on the outside, the mechanical parts are very different.

The CC850 is powered by the Jesko's 5.0 liter V8, making 1,385 horsepower on E85 fuel. Regular gas sees output decrease to 1,185 horses, but this is still plenty of power. The car's weight strangely matches its horsepower, at 1,385 pounds. This random number didn't manage to find its way into the CC850's torque, however, which reaches 1,022 lb-ft.

The CC850 also shares its nine-speed transmission with the Jesko, but this is where things get tricky. In the center console resides a gated six-speed manual gearbox, and there is also a clutch pedal for the driver. So what happened to the automatic? It's still there, as the manual gears and the clutch have been connected to the aforementioned multi-clutch nine-speed automatic. The name for this contraption is no less complicated. Koenigsegg calls it TWMPAFMPC, which stands for The Worlds Most Powerful And Fastest Manual Production Car.

It features manual mode, which acts just like a stick shift, where the driver must use the clutch to switch gears. Only six out of nine speeds are available in this mode, but a simple switch of driving modes will provide access to all nine speeds. Moving the gear lever to the far right will initiate automatic mode, for those who don't want to row their own gears.

Koenigsegg hasn't disclosed the CC850's pricing, launch date, or exact performance specs just yet, but only 50 units will be produced in honor of company founder Christian von Koenigsegg's 50th birthday.

Are you a fan of the CC850, or is the CC8 better?

Images: Koenigsegg