Dive deep with us in Lobster Fight Podcast #2 as we interview Christian von Koenigsegg, the visionary CEO behind Koenigsegg Automotive. Explore his insights on hypercar innovation, sustainable technology, and the future of high-performance engineering. Get an exclusive look into the mind of a revolutionary leader shaping the automotive landscape. Don't miss this captivating conversation!
#Koenigsegg #ChristianVonKoenigsegg #Hypercar #Automotive #Innovation #Podcast #LobsterFightPodcast #Engineering #CEO #LuxuryCars #Cars
#Koenigsegg #ChristianVonKoenigsegg #Hypercar #Automotive #Innovation #Podcast #LobsterFightPodcast #Engineering #CEO #LuxuryCars #Cars
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00:00I know you've probably talked a lot about the car and all the projects and Koenigsegg but today we kind of really want to focus a bit more about you, about let's say the challenges you went through building Koenigsegg.
00:13And maybe like also the challenges which were before Koenigsegg was a thing, you know, because many people always see these, let's say finished products, they see a car down there, they don't know exactly what's been going on to get to that level.
00:30And that's for us the interesting part. We've called this podcast The Lobster Fight and so many people we spoke with already here are like, why is it called The Lobster Fight?
00:44Yeah, interesting name.
00:46It's different, it's different but it really means these challenges that we go through in life or difficulties, how we handle them, defines if we come out of them as a stronger lobster or a weaker one.
01:01Right, right.
01:01And that's why we want to go today with this episode of The Lobster Fight.
01:07So the thing I know about lobsters in that regard I think is whatever Jordan B. Peterson was talking about.
01:13Correct.
01:13Is that from him?
01:14That is cool. You know, it's not many people you can put in front of a microphone that'll get that reference straight away.
01:21So compliment to you for that. That means that you probably understand not the methodology but the metaphor behind it?
01:29A bit, yes. I heard him speak about it.
01:32Yeah.
01:32And it's interesting, especially the emotional aspect of lobsters.
01:36Exactly.
01:37And how old they are and kind of makes you maybe not want to eat them when you think about it.
01:40You're right, you're right, you're right, you're right.
01:42But this was what, let's say, inspired us to have a common name for the podcast, to set the framework where we want to take the chat.
01:51Right.
01:51And yeah, let's get into it and see where today brings us.
01:55Sure.
01:55I will then start by asking you the defining moment in your life that put you on the course of where you are today, if you can think of it.
02:08Yeah, I mean, I get the question a lot, I guess, why do you build cars?
02:13And the first years of doing Koenigsegg, I kind of answered, yeah, you know, I was always interested in cars as a kid and something I really loved.
02:22And then usually the comeback was, yeah, but there are a lot of people who are car interested that are not doing what you're doing.
02:28I said, yeah, I guess.
02:29So why?
02:30And then I started thinking more deeper about it.
02:32When was my first memory of wanting to build cars?
02:38And it comes back to, and it's also my father's kind of, he helped me remember this because he remembered it very vividly.
02:46And it's also my first memory, maybe because he reminded me, I don't know.
02:49But anyway, when I was about six years old, my father took me to the movies and we saw a Norwegian sort of stop motion puppet movie.
03:00This was like in 1977 or 1976.
03:04This was way before computer animations existed, really.
03:08And there was this kind of intricately made puppet movie about a bicycle repairman who was like an inventor.
03:19And he lived on top of a mountaintop similar to this we have in front of us here, Lake Como.
03:24And he had this bicycle repair shop up there with his two helpers.
03:27And they started building this crazy wild race car that he wanted to compete with.
03:34And then he took it to kind of a Le Mans style race and beat the Porsche, the Ferraris.
03:39And it was so well made.
03:41It was like, even though I showed my kids a couple of years back, I thought it's going to be horrible, this movie.
03:46I haven't seen it for many, many years.
03:47But it was still as amazing.
03:49So well made.
03:50And well, so he raced all these famous brands with this kind of home cooked thing.
03:58And it had a lot of inventions at a rocket engine and a 12 liter engine and some strange, it was a lot of strange inventions.
04:05And he won the race, of course, after some struggles.
04:08And I apparently told my father that when I grew up, I want to be that bicycle repairman and build a car like that.
04:16So I started drawing cars, I started buying car magazines for all my pocket money.
04:23And yeah, I just had this vision of I'm going to build a car when I have a chance.
04:28So when I was 19 years old, I kind of felt a bit fed up with school and I felt like that for a while and wanted to get out there and do stuff.
04:39And especially, of course, having this dream of a car.
04:41But I understood I need some kind of platform to create a car.
04:46I don't have the resources.
04:49So I started a company.
04:52I had some ideas for inventions and things, generally speaking, which I thought maybe I can make a patent, maybe I can make a little bit of money.