Where dreams are made. The Koenigsegg factory tour!

July 7, 2020 benautobahn Off Koenigsegg,

“Oh my goodness, I am actually here.” I thought to myself. That was a pinch-myself kind of a moment. I have read countless articles and watched many videos about this car company, that I could recognize the building even if there was no sign nor its iconic three flags outside its headquarters.

And if you’re like me then you know that I’m of course talking about Koenigsegg. The relatively small Swedish car company which develops and builds ultra-high-performance cars most agree to group it beyond supercar territory: the hypercar segment.

The Koenigsegg Jesko. Named after Christian’s father.

There’s no set definition of what constitutes a hypercar, or even a supercar for that matter. The term hypercar usually signifies the highest performance car of recent time, ones that tend to produce close to or well beyond 1000hp and costs upwards of a million dollars. Production numbers and exclusivity also somehow plays a role in the term, but that’s a story for another day.

I’m sure most of you already know the history behind the company’s founder Christian von Koenigsegg so I won’t dwell too much on it, as there’s countless videos and sources out there that would better explain it than I ever could in words. I will be focusing more on the tour itself in this story.

Christian von Koenigsegg with his latest creation

So how did I end up in the tiny town of Ängelholm (population ~40k) visiting the hometown of Koenigsegg? Well, Koenigsegg actually provides factory tours which you can book by emailing them on their website. While you will find all the info you will need there, basically there are two kinds of tours available: the Exclusive and Exclusive VIP tour.

The Exclusive tour starts at 5000 Swedish Krona (SEK) for up to 5 people. On top of that, you can add 1000 SEK (~105USD) for every additional person up to a maximum of 10 people. This means it costs 1000 SEK per person, but a minimum of 5000 SEK (~530USD) is required to book a tour (no matter if you bring 4 others along or just yourself). So as long as you’re willing to fish out 5000 SEK , you could technically have a private factory tour just for yourself.

The same rule goes for the Exclusive VIP tour. Pay 8500 SEK (~907USD) for up to 5 people, and an additional 1700 SEK (~181USD) per person for up to 10 people. Even if your group is less than 5 people, the minimum charge is still 8500 SEK. The prices are accurate at the date of writing, so please check the website link for the most updated prices.

Sign up for the base Exclusive tour and you get a guided tour around the factory that last for roughly an hour and a half. Once the tour ends, it’s done. Pay an additional 800 SEK (~84USD) per person for the Exclusive VIP tour and you get the same tour, but the tour ends with food, drinks and a goodie bag filled with souvenirs from the Koenigsegg lifestyle shop (see below).

From left: Koenigsegg magazine, 1:87 scale model, Koenigsegg cap.

No matter which tour you choose however, rest assured your tour will be a closed tour, meaning there won’t be another tour going on simultaneously. In fact, they only do a few tours per month, if not less, as it’s all based on the factory’s convenience.

For example, the factory tour schedule for 2019 only begins after March as the factory was busy preparing the much-anticipated Agera replacement (we now know as the Jesko) for the Geneva Motor Show in March. Again, you will have to email them to find out the next tour availability, and also for any special arrangements. Needless to say, the earlier you contact them the better.

My group of friends and I went for the Exclusive VIP tour. We’ll never know when we might have the chance to visit this place again, so why not go for the full experience right? And we were glad that we did.

Our tour was led by Daniel, his official title in his emails being “Assistant to the CEO”. Daniel welcomed and greeted our group of eight people and we were told to sign a mandatory Visitor Confidentiality Agreement, followed by keeping away our cameras and phones in designated lockers.

Photos and video recordings are strictly not allowed within the factory, in exception for the main lobby and gift shop area in the photos you see here. Don’t fret however, as you could look up plenty of videos of the actual production facility online. Most of them hosted by Mr. Koenigsegg himself too!

A pristine Koenigsegg CCXR in orange remains the centerpiece of the lobby area when we visited and has been for a while. Daniel told us that the car belongs to Koenigsegg and it’s for sale. Koenigsegg has its own certified pre-own vehicle program called Certified Legends where pre-loved Koenigseggs are maintained and upgraded to the latest possible specifications, while including a two-year factory warranty.

The CCXR on display is just one of the Certified Legends on sale, with many other cars available for sale through other Koenigsegg dealerships worldwide. Daniel added that they determine the price through market value, so it’s not a total surprise when he told us that the CCXR in front of us is worth well above a million dollars. One could probably purchase a slightly newer variant if you look around hard enough, so maybe that’s why the CCXR remains unsold. Probably not for long.

Another thing which caught our eyes have to be the R2-D2 droid at the corner of the lobby. Daniel told us that the R2-D2 was built by one of the staff as a passion project. The R2-D2 has moving parts and moves as how it does in the movies, all controlled by a remote control. The staff who made the droid once received a generous offer by an interested party but the staff turned it down.

The R2-D2 is sometimes brought to local events in town to be shown to the public. Even the rust you see on the metal droid is genuine rust, created simply by leaving the metal panels outside to oxidize.

These tags are reused so sadly we couldn’t bring it home.

Back to the tour, Daniel guided us through the factory starting from the top floor, overlooking the assembly line below. Daniel walked us through all the departments one could imagine involved in producing a bespoke hypercar. We got to see the extensive wiring loom in the electrical department, touch and feel some of the engine parts, hold the carbon rim in your hands to feel how light it is, witness the painting process and much more.

What excites me most is to be on the factory floor where the cars are being built on the assembly line. No amount of photos or videos could replace the sense of awe being surrounded by countless Koenigseggs coming together around you. I got to speak with Christian when his company revealed the Regera to the world. That was five years ago, and now I am standing inside the birthplace of Christian’s automotive masterpiece.

No photos allowed inside, so here’s one taken by Koenigsegg.

As I am writing this, Koenigsegg is still busy building the rest of the 80 Regeras and it was no different during our visit. Getting to see bespoke customer Regeras coming to life before they get shipped to other parts of the world is very special indeed.

The tour is also a golden opportunity to ask whatever Koenigsegg-related questions you may have. Daniel was as knowledgeable as you would expect from a guide and was more than happy to answer any of our questions. For example, I didn’t know that US-spec Regeras feature four airbags instead of two due to differences in regulations until I asked Daniel about it.

Before you know it, the one and a half hour tour is over and ends right back at the showroom lobby where we started. Should you opt for the Exclusive VIP tour like we did, you will be served a meal right after the tour. In our case, the food involved a variety of locally prepared Smørrebrød, a type of open-faced sandwich, and served with a side of sparkling tea from Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company.

Our guide Daniel spent the rest of our meal time chatting with us and keeping us company. When asked if Christian von Koenigsegg was around, Daniel said he was and even went to check if Christian was free to meet us. Unfortunately Christian was in a meeting, although we got to see his wife Haldora around the factory floor.

During our meal time, we were also lucky enough to witness a Regera being driven out of the factory for testing. This was my first time seeing a Regera out on the open road in motion and it was very special indeed. You can check out the brief video here.

Should you decide to book a factory tour, I would highly recommend going for the Exclusive VIP tour. Sure, the additional cost goes directly to the goodies and food, but the extra hour we gained enjoying our meal while chatting with Daniel, plus the potential chance to meet Christian himself, or to stumble upon a Koenigsegg driving out for testing makes the upgraded tour all worth it.

There’s more to see even after you leave the factory. Right outside where Koenigsegg staff park their cars is just as interesting. From a Jaguar XJ to a single-seat Nissan 200SX with roll cage, the variety of cars you will find may surprise you. One trend I noticed was the love for huge rims.

Peek behind the fence of the factory and you might also see Christian von Koenigsegg’s Mazda Miata/MX-5 which was his very first car in which he recently found and purchased. Haldora’s personal Porsche 911 Targa was also there, next to a Tesla Model 3 and a Model S, again with huge aftermarket rims.

There’s obviously more to Ängelholm besides Koenigsegg. Should you have extra hours or even days to spare, there’s the Ängelholm air museum and a free animal park nearby called Hembygdsparken. Not to mention exploring the beautiful Skåne county Ängelholm is located in. Whether it’s food to try or places to visit, do not hesitate to ask your Koenigsegg guide for recommendations!