The Car That Kickstarted a Legend: Koenigsegg CC Prototype Set to Appear at The Royal Bahrain Concours
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Held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, the inaugural Royal Bahrain Concours is proud to announce that it will feature the very first Koenigsegg ever built. Supported by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), the event highlights the Kingdom’s expanding role in the global luxury and lifestyle arena, offering an immersive and memorable experience for automotive enthusiasts and collectors alike.
The 1996 Koenigsegg CC prototype, known internally as XP 001, will be on display at the inaugural Royal Bahrain Concours takin place 7–8 November 2025 at the Royal Golf Club, marking a rare public appearance for this legendary Swedish hypercar that helped kickstart the Koengisegg brand to global acclaim.
“If features, design and performance did not only match but in many ways exceed the existing supercars, no one would look twice at a startup car company from Sweden.” These words from Christian von Koenigsegg himself reveal the ambitious vision that drove the creation of this prototype. Three decades later, Koenigsegg stands alongside the world’s greatest hypercar manufacturers, and it all began with this striking bronze wedge.
The original CC prototype represents the physical manifestation of von Koenigsegg’s hand-drawn sketches, transformed into a 1:5 scale model by industrial designer David Crafoord before construction commenced in 1994. Many hallmarks of the now-legendary brand were already evident: the removable hardtop that lent the CC a coupe-esque silhouette when attached and limitless headroom when stowed; the revolutionary dihedral synchro-helix doors offering both drama and practicality; and a semi-carbon fiber monocoque with integrated chromolybdenum tube subframes, an early ancestor to the full carbon monocoques central to today’s Koenigsegg hypercars.
Under the bronze bodywork lies a hand-built 4.2-liter Audi V8 mated to a gated six-speed manual transmission, a remnant from a potential collaboration that dissolved when von Koenigsegg revealed his intentions to tune the engine far above its recommended maximum output. The prototype’s distinctive metallic bronze color itself tells a remarkable story: von Koenigsegg had specified a bright burnt orange from a Volvo C70 to help mark Scandinavia on the supercar map, but miscommunication with the painter resulted in this serendipitously beautiful hue.
By 2019, this prototype had become a myth. Enter Gaurav Dhar, custodian of the Numero Uno collection specializing in prototypes and number-one build slot cars. Following discussions at RM Sotheby’s Yas Marina auction about which 1990s icons would dominate future collector headlines, one question emerged: what happened to the very first Koenigsegg?
What followed was an obsessive four-year investigation. Dhar hunted forums and internet archives while building a network of people connected to Koenigsegg; engineers, historians, museum workers. Eight months of detective work led him to the Motala Museum in Sweden, where the car resided in remarkable preservation.
Restoration and Resurrection
Following acquisition, the prototype underwent careful mechanical recommissioning overseen by members of the original Koenigsegg team responsible for building it during the 1990s. The restoration prioritized mechanical integrity while meticulously preserving the original paint and interior, maintaining the car’s authentic character while ensuring road-worthiness.
The Koenigsegg CC prototype joins an exceptional roster of collector cars at the Royal Bahrain Concours, held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain. The event will feature 90 of the world’s most exceptional collector cars alongside 300 additional vehicles from GCC-based car clubs.
“The Royal Bahrain Concours is about celebrating automotive innovation and the visionaries who dared to dream,” said James Brooks-Ward, Chairman of the Royal Bahrain Concours. “Christian von Koenigsegg’s prototype represents exactly that spirit, a young entrepreneur from Sweden who believed he could compete with the world’s greatest supercar manufacturers. This car is the stepping stone that led to everything Koenigsegg has become, from the CC8S to the Agera R, the One:1 Megacar and beyond.”
The two-day programme includes The Prestige Day on Friday, 7 November, featuring presentation of the leading cars on the Concours stage, followed by Awards Day on Saturday, 8 November, when all class winners and best of show will be awarded
Tickets are strictly limited and available now at royalconcours.com.
Event Details: Royal Golf Club, Bahrain
7–8 November 2025
Tickets and further info: royalconcours.com
@royalbahrainconcours
