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With the flick of the gear stick, the driver can simply switch between automatic, to a proper gated 6-speed gearbox with an actual clutch pedal.
Koenigsegg very much set the supercar world alight the other week with the announcement of their utterly incredible CC850. The CC850 pays homage to the record-shattering CC8S, the very first production Koenigsegg, and it also marks the 50th birthday of Christian von Koenigsegg, the founder of the company. Demand has been so high, that the initial run of 50 cars is now expanded to add another 20, which helps to mark 20 years of Koenigsegg production which of course did start with the CC8S. But the CC850 is a world away from that amazing first Koenigsegg.
What makes this car, so special is that incredible manual transmission. It is of course derived from the lightweight transmission that the Jesko and the Jesko Absolut have, but Koenigsegg has done well to rework it to become a fully-fledged manual, with a clutch pedal operating it. But that’s not all. This incredible transmission is also available as an automatic, with it requiring just a simple shift over to the right of the new shifter to turn it into an automatic. This is all you need to know about the new transmission and how it works as a manual and automatic.
While this transmission is as we have said derived from the Jesko, it enters the CC850 with a difference. This is the Koenigsegg Engage Shift system, or KESS system, that the company says allows for different gear rations depending on the driving mode, ie manual or automatic. The basis is the Koenigsegg Light Speed Transmission of the Jesko, but it is now paired with a clutch peddle with a 6-speed gated shifter. It is an adaptable, multi-ratio, six-speed manual that can also be a superfast, smooth-shifting nine-speed automatic transmission. The driver can seamlessly alternate between the manual driving experience, and the process behind this is simple.
To shift between automatic and manual, the driver just shifts the gated shifter over to the right, and we are in full automatic mode. While there are nine-gears in total, just six of them are usable in full-manual mode. It is a nine-speed though in automatic mode, and it shifts incredibly quickly, almost at light-speed. And while there are just six gears available in manual mode, depending on the drive mode selected (Road or Track), you can access different ratios, so you can use all nine within the manual mode, just not all nine at once.
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What makes the transmission particularly incredible is that essentially, it is an all-electronic affair. The operation of the clutch pedal and the mechanical gear changes are all tied into the multi-clutch nine-speed gearbox, giving what Koenigsegg calls the “TWMPAFMPC”. That utter mouthful stands for The Worlds Most Powerful And Fastest Manual Production Car. A mouthful indeed but it is a statement that very much rings true, as that is exactly what Christian von Koenigsegg and his amazing team has come up with.
To understand how remarkable this transmission is, you have to understand how it drives. This isn’t simply a gimmick to replicate the feel of a manual. The clutch fully operates the gearing and you have to use it to shift between gears. And if you don’t get the revs right before you launch and set off, you will stall the car. Just like you would in an everyday, manual family car. Remember though, there is a difference here. The manual transmission in the CC850 is handling a staggering amount of horsepower, well over 1,000 hp, more than the average family car by far. This, in a world where manual transmissions are becoming a thing of the past.
Of course, what makes this car even more impressive is how much power is actually handled by that manual transmission. Under the hood of this monster is a twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V8 engine that is also sourced from the Jesko. It generates 1,185 hp which is a huge amount for a manual transmission to handle. This is less than the Jesko, but that is down to the smaller turbos to eliminate turbo lag. Christian von Koenigsegg explained this is so there is no sudden surge in speed and power as we operate the clutch and take our hand off the wheel to shift.
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The statement that Koenigsegg are the current supercar kings might well be true. We’ve seen with the Regera and the Jesko and Jesko Absolut just how much they are actually prepared to reinvent the wheel, and the CC850 is a testament to that ability to continuously wow us with every new release. Just when we thought we had seen everything, Koenigsegg come out and show us that we really haven’t. The demand for the CC850 shows just how much people value what Koenigsegg is able to do, and we can’t wait to see what might come from them next.
Covering anything from JDM cars to classic jets. Contributed to HotCars since the Autumn of 2018. Writes features, news and list articles.