Description
This car is Lot 117 to be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars at The Bond Street Sale 12 December, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Public Viewing:
Available 12th December 2024 from 09:00 until 17:00, at 101 New Bond Street, London.
Lot 117
Unique factory test car
2006 Koenigsegg CCXR Coupé
Registration no. not registered
Chassis no. YT9M2G0V8H5007031
One owner from new
Left-hand drive
Used for testing and certification purposes
Rebuilt to 'R' specification in 2014
Offered from the collection of Mr Bård Eker
Former holder of the Guinness World Record as builder of the fastest production car, the Swedish firm of Koenigsegg succeeded - against all the odds - in establishing itself in the front rank of supercar manufacturers within a decade of its foundation. Among UK motoring enthusiasts Koenigsegg is now a household name, thanks to its setting a new lap record on BBC Television's Top Gear programme in 2006, ahead of all contemporary supercars.
The company was founded in 1994 by sports car enthusiast Christian von Koenigsegg, who was running a successful import/ export business at the time. His aim was nothing less than the creation of the ultimate performance car, where no technical solution would be deemed too difficult. Christian himself drew up the initial layout and in those days he even hand-modelled everything himself, together with a few friends who helped out for meagre wages. Nowadays, of course, the company has its own R&D department boasting state-of-the-art equipment, but in the beginning inspiration, enthusiasm and imagination had to suffice. Incredibly, the first prototype was completed in 1996, only two years after the project had commenced.
Rather like its cars, the Koenigsegg company moved at a record pace and in 2002 began series production of the CC8S model. The CC8S's arrival demonstrated that it was indeed possible for a passionate, dedicated young manufacturer to compete with the older, long-established supercar brands.
After a fire at its original premises, Koenigsegg relocated in 2003 to its present location and headquarters: a former fighter jet facility that had previously belonged to the Swedish Air Force. Along with the buildings came a 1. 7km runway, which turned out to be perfect for high-speed testing. Since the runway is 50 metres wide it can also serve as a test track. Many Koenigsegg customers have enjoyed landing their private jets just outside the factory gates, and there is also a heli-pad in front of the main entrance.
In the spring of 2004 Koenigsegg launched the CCR, a supercar that surpassed all others, breaking the Guinness World Record for the fastest production road car, which until then had been held by the McLaren F1. In 2006 a Koenigsegg CCX set fastest lap in the now famous Top Gear programme, and then the following year Koenigsegg launched the CCXR: a 1, 018bhp version of the CCX powered by its own 4. 7-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine and capable of running on environmentally friendlier E85 fuel. This pioneering development made it the world's first 'green' supercar, but Koenigsegg was not done with record breaking yet, setting a new 0-300-0km/ h record of just 29 seconds with a CCX. Although built to excel on the racetrack, a Koenigsegg is nevertheless a comfortable means of high-speed long-distance travelling.
This particular Koenigsegg was first seen on 18th June 2006, at a filling station near the factory, without the usual (CCX) badges on the sides. It had protective tape covering the lower part of the body panels, as often seen when Koenigseggs leave the factory for the first time, suggesting this was its first outing, and also the only one for quite some time as '7031' was not spotted again for almost six years...
The first production car ('7030' was the prototype), '7031' was purchased new by the then largest shareholder in Koenigsegg Automotive, Mr Bård Eker, who has owned several Koenigseggs over the years. The company wanted to get the car on the road as quickly as possible to assist with the testing programme, which involved early submission for a European Testing Institute test at Barcelona, enabling delivery of the rest of the production models to be speeded up. The odometer reading was advanced to satisfy the test's requirements (a certain distance had to be covered prior to submission) so the 18, 698 kilometres recorded is considerably more than the distance actually driven, which is approximately one third to one half of the current total.
It seems likely that this Koenigsegg was not yet a fully specified CCX when it first appeared, but rather a further developed CCR/ CCX prototype. The absence of the model call-out badges on the sides of this car add to that, together with some unique features: for example, the air vents just behind the front wheelarches are different from those on any other Koenigsegg, as are the windscreen washer nozzles that are positioned differently compared to other CCXs.
Its use as a test and certification car would also explain why '7031' was not seen publicly for such a long period of time, as both testing and certification would have been conducted in secret. However, it is unlikely that '7031' was used for testing for almost six years, but more likely that when testing and certification was concluded it was stored at the factory.
In April of 2012 this Koenigsegg surfaced at the Gran Turismo Nürburgring event together with '7086', and this time it had CCXR badges on the sides, suggesting this car was also used for the CCXR test program. It carried stickers reading 'STREETFIGHTER 7031' and 'Koenigsegg Official Testcar', while a raised Top Gear rear wing had been added since the car was last seen in 2006. '7031' was campaigned at the Gran Turismo Nürburgring event by Eker Performance, the then official Koenigsegg representative for Norway.
This Koenigsegg stayed with Mr Eker and was shown on several occasions, making an appearance at the Rudskogen festival in August 2012 where it was accompanied by the CCGT, a CCR, a CCX and an Agera R. A year later, in August 2013, this car was spotted at Trosnes, Norway with the roof section, including ski box, of '7083'... A month later, it was driven around the Rudskogen circuit, still with the roof section and ski box of the aforementioned Agera R. Since then the car has not been seen driven but has spent most of its life in storage at the Rudskogen circuit.
A rather unusual colour was chosen for this CCX: Satin Black. As mentioned earlier, this car did not have the model badges at the sides at first. The windscreen washer nozzles are positioned in a unique way, which helps identifying this car, as do the different air vents behind the front wheelarches. The front splitter and side skirts are not finished in clear coated carbon, like on most CCXs, but in silver, often seen on CCRs.
Chassis '7031' was equipped with the 5-hole telephone-dial wheels when first seen outside the factory and was not fitted with a rear wing initially. Since this Koenigsegg was used as a test and certification car, it is not surprising that it underwent some changes in the period of almost six years it spent out of sight.
When spotted again in 2012, the car sported CCXR badges in silver on the sides and a Top Gear-style rear wing, while dual white stripes with smaller white highlights on the outer edge had been added. The older rear light set-up (two red lights and one white light on either side) had been changed in favour of the newer one (with one red light and two white lights).
The earlier telephone-dial wheels had been replaced by 9-spoke CCX style wheels and numerous stickers were added, the most eye catching being the aforementioned 'STREETFIGHTER 7031' and 'KOENIGSEGG OFFICIAL TEST CAR' ones on the sides and the front. Some less apparent ones were also added: 'hydrolift fly without wings" on the rear fenders and 'Bård Eker' at the doors.
The '7031 STREETFIGHTER' sticker at the front was later removed but the ones at the sides were kept.
The interior is dominated by the colour grey; dark grey leather is used for most of the interior but some light grey Alcantara accents are used for the seats. The upper part of the centre console is trimmed with dark grey leather while the dashboard top is clear coated carbon. This Koenigsegg has the older style Stack instrument cluster as used on the CC8S, the CCR and the early CCX models up to chassis '7048'.
Interestingly, '7031' has the new infotainment system which was introduced on chassis number '7063', suggesting this was tested in this particular Koenigsegg. Another notable detail is that the seat cushion supporting the passenger's legs is black, while on the driver side it is dark grey.
All services have been done by Koenigsegg and Eker Performance. Events entered Koenigsegg customer events in 2016 and 2017, and internal events with hydrolift/ eker in Norway. In 2014 '7031' underwent a major rebuild to today's 'R' (1, 018bhp) specification. The car comes with the following:
Original user manual
Wheel nut tool
Roof latch tool
CTEC charger with Koenigsegg bag
Tow hook
Covers for roof panel and car
Hand built and exclusive, Koenigsegg's peerless supercars are only rarely offered for public sale, making the availability of this unique factory test car an event of exceptional interest to discerning collectors.
Please note that this vehicle is from outside the UK. Our customs agents, CARS UK, will manage all post sale customs administration. A fee of £350+VAT will be charged on the buyer's invoice to administer both import or export customs movements. If the buyer also chooses to ship with CARS UK, this will be quoted separately. If this vehicle is to stay in the UK, it will be subject to Import VAT at the standard rate of 20% and Import Duty at 10%+VAT on the hammer price. This vehicle will not be available for immediate collection after the sale and will only be released on completion of customs clearance. If you have any questions regarding customs clearance, please contact the Bonhams Motorcar Department.
Please note there is restricted bidding on this lot which requires enhanced bid verification checks. Please contact us at using the button below or call +44 20 7447 7447 as soon as possible if you are planning to bid on this lot to prevent any last-minute delays.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
