(VIDEO) The gearbox that is both manual and automatic at the same time debuts on the new Koenigsegg CC850, created to replicate the legendary CC8S

Koenigsegg has revealed the new CC850, a fascinating model, created to revive the legendary CC8S from 20 years ago, in a more modern form, with today's technologies. This reborn Swedish supercar thus follows the same trend by which Lamborghini launched the modern Countach in honor of the original one. But, if the Italians did it in honor of 50 years since the creation of the first, the Swedes have only 20 years of series production, and the CC8S was their first model. And it was brilliant from the first shot.

Well, in addition to the very similar design and proportions, the new model has a big ace up its sleeve, which is the unique gearbox, automatic and manual at the same time. And I don't mean any automatic transmission with paddle shifters or even a robotized one.

The basis was the same 9-speed automatic box from Koenigsegg, called LST, or Light Speed Transmission. Swedish engineers created a clutch mechanism and a gear change lever to be added to the original LST. Only that, when you move the lever from 2nd to 3rd gear, it doesn't mechanically move things in the box, but electronically, and the change in the box happens as fast as the lever is moved. Also, the clutch is not connected directly, mechanically, but the actual clutch of the box reacts progressively as you move the pedal. Therefore, if you release the clutch too quickly, you can jerk the car too hard, or even choke its engine, just like with a regular manual gearbox.

The even more interesting part is that the gearbox has 9 gears, and 9 positions for a mechanical lever would have been too many. So, it has a metal casing around it, like in the 80s, so that it can be directed easier, and the steps are not 9, but only 6, plus two other positions. So, there are 8 positions in total. The first 6 are the normal gears of the gearbox, and the 7th, 8th and 9th gears simply cannot be accessed in manual mode. The two positions on the right are reserved for reverse gear and the D mode, when the box switches to automatic mode and gives you access to all 9 of its gears.

So, when you shift the box to D mode, there is no need to press the clutch pedal even if you stop, and the biggest problem here may be habit. However, those geeks at Koenigsegg are sure that people will enjoy dynamic driving on the circuit or on winding roads in manual mode and will include the automatic mode only in more relaxing driving mode. By the way, to provide mechanical sensations, the lever was mechanically connected to the box, through a static rod. So, there is no rod to move things in the box with the stick, but there is a fixed one, just to transmit the vibrations from the box and keep the natural driving feeling.

All this allowed the new Swedish model to be called the most powerful serial model with a manual gearbox in the world. And that's also due to the fact that it has a 5.0-liter V8 engine, biturbo, which produces 1,185 HP at 7,800 rpm if it runs on gasoline and 1,385 HP if it runs on E85. By the way, despite the huge power, the engine does not have direct injection, but multipoint. The car is also very light, weighing only 1,385 kg, exactly how many HP and Nm it produces with E85!

Only 50 such units will be produced, a figure related to the anniversary of the founder of the brand, Christian von Koenigsegg. He also spoke at model's presentation with great passion about his team's new creation and you can see him in the video below.