Koenigsegg is no stranger to building hypercars capable of cruising comfortably at 200 mph. So much so that in 2017, a Koenigsegg Agera RS managed to become the world’s fastest production car with an average speed of 277.9 mph. Today we’re focusing on one of its predecessors, the Koenigsegg CCR. According to Road and Track, an urban legend claims that the driver of a CCR managed to get a 242 MPH speeding ticket in 2003 during a rally in Texas.

The Koenigsegg allegedly got its ticket during the 2003 Gumball 3000

According to Road and Track, this urban legend begins with the 2003 Gumball 3000. The first Gumball 3000 took place in 1999, and as the name suggests, it is a rally that covers 3,000 miles. A high cost of entry usually means that only celebrities and the ultra-wealthy can participate. As a result, many of the cars registered are supercars and hypercars. In 2003, the Gumball 3000 saw participants travel from San Francisco to Miami.

Midway through this massive road trip is where the Koenigsegg allegedly received its speeding ticket. As the rally passed through Texas, a competing Koenigsegg CCR allegedly got pulled over for going 242 mph. To make matters worse, the National Motorists Association reports that the ticket was handed out in a 75 mph zone. The result is a speed overage of 167 mph.

According to Road and Track, the urban legend claims that the driver either managed to talk himself out of it or paid up to $650,000 in fines. Given the lack of information surrounding this event, it is hard to tell. However, it seems highly unlikely that someone would be able to get an officer to shrug off a 242 mph speeding ticket. If the ticket was actually handed out, the latter theory is the most likely.

What is a Koenigsegg CCR?

Let’s talk about the Koenigsegg CCR. While reaching 242 mph in 2020 is a massively impressive feat, in 2003, it must’ve been otherworldly. Powering the CCR is a twin-supercharged 4.7-liter Ford-sourced V8 engine. Total output is rated at 806 hp, and it reached the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

The Koenigsegg’s extremely low 2,600 curb weight also plays a massive role in its incredible speed capabilities. The CCR reached 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and continued onto a theoretical top speed of 245 mph.

Aside from being immensely fast, the Koenigsegg is an incredibly rare car. With just 14 CCR’s ever produced from 2004-2006, chances are we’ll never see one in the flesh.

Here’s why you should be skeptical

As you may have noticed by now, there are a couple of potential faults with this urban legend. It is important to note that this legend picked up tons of steam after it was mentioned during a car review on Top Gear.

For starters, the Koenigsegg CCR went into production in 2004, one year after the rally took place. One theory is that Koegnisegg could’ve sent over a prototype to attend and impress the large group of hypercar owners. In contrast, the Koenigsegg in question could have been the CCR’s predecessor, the CC8S. However, this is unlikely given the CC8S’ lower top speed of 240 mph.

The second cause for skepticism surrounds the radar systems used by police departments. According to UssFletcher, a sergeant with the Oklahoma City Police Department claims that police radars generally top out at around 199 mph. The result is that there would be no reliable way to measure the Koenigsegg’s supposed speed and issue a ticket in response.

Lastly, it took Koenigsegg itself until 2005 to max out the CCR in Italy’s Nardo Ring, where it topped out just over 241 mph. Given this, it seems likely someone would be able to surpass that on the public road. While the urban legend makes for a great story, the likelihood it actually happened is rather small. Regardless, one thing that is certainly not up to debate is Koenigsegg’s relentless pursuit of speed. Its recent Jesko model is set to come eerily close to the 300 mph barrier.