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Koenig Specials
Koenig Specials GmbH (known widely as Koenig) is a German tuning house based in Munich that specialised in modifications to European luxury cars but gained notability in the 1980s and 1990s for their performance modifications to Ferraris. Some of its most notable works included a twin-turbo Ferrari Testarossa with extensive body modifications that made it resemble a Ferrari F40 (known as the Koenig Competition and in revised form Koenig Competition Evolution) that produced up to a claimed 1,000 PS DIN in "Evolution" guise, a highly unusual output for cars at the time, as well as the 850 PS DIN Ferrari F50. Koenig also entered into automobile production with its road-going version of the Porsche 962 known as the Koenig C62, therefore becoming the first road-legal Group C-based car.
Many of its cars have been featured in non-German mainstream publications such as Road & Track, Top Gear, and Sports Car International. Car magazine described its Competition Evolution as "the most famous modified supercar of the 1980s".
Willy König, often spelt as Willy Koenig by non-Germans, was born on February 2, 1938. He originally became wealthy from publishing, and was able to afford race cars to race. He began his racing career in 1961 with a Formula Junior Cooper that he acquired from the Formula One driver Wolfgang von Trips.
One of his early motorsport achievements included winning the Deutsche Bergmeisterschaft (German Hillclimbing Championship) in 1962 with a Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta under the pseudonym Robert Frank. As a result, he was invited personally by Enzo Ferrari to an event held in his honour at Maranello. Up until the end of the decade, König raced a variety of cars including the Lola T70, various Fiat Abarths, Borgward Isabella TS ,and Ford GT40. He retired from professional racing after 1969 to devote more time to his business; he then raced occasionally in club meetings and later sold his printing business to focus on his thriving car tuning business.
In the late 1980s, he raced the BMW 320i Turbo and the BMW M1 Procar with his son, Walter. As well, he won the domestic Spezial-Tourenwagen-Trophy in 1990 with his Porsche 935 K3 and competed in the Interserie with a Porsche 962. He additionally survived a 250 km/h crash at the Rindt Kurve during a test drive at the Österreichring in his 935 K3.
The foundation of Koenig Specials began in 1974 when Willy König bought one of the first Ferrari 365 GT4 BBs in West Germany, but was dissatisfied with its performance in comparison to the sports car racers he was accustomed to. His work eventually became so popular that when he attended Ferrari events, he was commissioned by other owners to carry out similar work for them once they learned that his car had been modified. His work initially began with addition of factory parts or parts copied from other racing cars, such as rear spoilers, wide wheels, three-plate clutches, and high performance exhausts.
Koenig's hobby grew, and it eventually became a business in 1977 with an aim to make Ferrari a "proper sportscars [sic] again". One of the early modifications offered consisted of a spoiler with crudely tacked on rear wheel arch extensions The company was named Koenig because there was a large German Ferrari dealer known as Konig (Auto-König), in addition to avoiding Anglicization of the name.
Additionally, he offered three different options for the Ferrari 365/512 BB, a high performance exhaust that produced a quoted 370 bhp; the addition of a high performance exhaust camshaft producing 400 bhp and a quoted 450 bhp for special pistons, modified cylinder heads, and rejetted carburetors, which was good for 4.5 seconds from 0–60 mph. If this wasn't enough for the owner, Koenig offered a twin-turbo conversion that consisted of a pair of Rajay turbos and intercoolers, which produced a total of 620 bhp. The 365/512 BB required a modified suspension and 9" front/13"rear wheels with uprated brakes to handle the power. With a large spoiler and every body panel (with the exception of the roof and upper front bodywork) replaced, the car was able to reach a claimed 0–60 mph in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 206 miles per hour (332 km/h).
Koenig Specials
Koenig Specials GmbH (known widely as Koenig) is a German tuning house based in Munich that specialised in modifications to European luxury cars but gained notability in the 1980s and 1990s for their performance modifications to Ferraris. Some of its most notable works included a twin-turbo Ferrari Testarossa with extensive body modifications that made it resemble a Ferrari F40 (known as the Koenig Competition and in revised form Koenig Competition Evolution) that produced up to a claimed 1,000 PS DIN in "Evolution" guise, a highly unusual output for cars at the time, as well as the 850 PS DIN Ferrari F50. Koenig also entered into automobile production with its road-going version of the Porsche 962 known as the Koenig C62, therefore becoming the first road-legal Group C-based car.
Many of its cars have been featured in non-German mainstream publications such as Road & Track, Top Gear, and Sports Car International. Car magazine described its Competition Evolution as "the most famous modified supercar of the 1980s".
Willy König, often spelt as Willy Koenig by non-Germans, was born on February 2, 1938. He originally became wealthy from publishing, and was able to afford race cars to race. He began his racing career in 1961 with a Formula Junior Cooper that he acquired from the Formula One driver Wolfgang von Trips.
One of his early motorsport achievements included winning the Deutsche Bergmeisterschaft (German Hillclimbing Championship) in 1962 with a Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta under the pseudonym Robert Frank. As a result, he was invited personally by Enzo Ferrari to an event held in his honour at Maranello. Up until the end of the decade, König raced a variety of cars including the Lola T70, various Fiat Abarths, Borgward Isabella TS ,and Ford GT40. He retired from professional racing after 1969 to devote more time to his business; he then raced occasionally in club meetings and later sold his printing business to focus on his thriving car tuning business.
In the late 1980s, he raced the BMW 320i Turbo and the BMW M1 Procar with his son, Walter. As well, he won the domestic Spezial-Tourenwagen-Trophy in 1990 with his Porsche 935 K3 and competed in the Interserie with a Porsche 962. He additionally survived a 250 km/h crash at the Rindt Kurve during a test drive at the Österreichring in his 935 K3.
The foundation of Koenig Specials began in 1974 when Willy König bought one of the first Ferrari 365 GT4 BBs in West Germany, but was dissatisfied with its performance in comparison to the sports car racers he was accustomed to. His work eventually became so popular that when he attended Ferrari events, he was commissioned by other owners to carry out similar work for them once they learned that his car had been modified. His work initially began with addition of factory parts or parts copied from other racing cars, such as rear spoilers, wide wheels, three-plate clutches, and high performance exhausts.
Koenig's hobby grew, and it eventually became a business in 1977 with an aim to make Ferrari a "proper sportscars [sic] again". One of the early modifications offered consisted of a spoiler with crudely tacked on rear wheel arch extensions The company was named Koenig because there was a large German Ferrari dealer known as Konig (Auto-König), in addition to avoiding Anglicization of the name.
Additionally, he offered three different options for the Ferrari 365/512 BB, a high performance exhaust that produced a quoted 370 bhp; the addition of a high performance exhaust camshaft producing 400 bhp and a quoted 450 bhp for special pistons, modified cylinder heads, and rejetted carburetors, which was good for 4.5 seconds from 0–60 mph. If this wasn't enough for the owner, Koenig offered a twin-turbo conversion that consisted of a pair of Rajay turbos and intercoolers, which produced a total of 620 bhp. The 365/512 BB required a modified suspension and 9" front/13"rear wheels with uprated brakes to handle the power. With a large spoiler and every body panel (with the exception of the roof and upper front bodywork) replaced, the car was able to reach a claimed 0–60 mph in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 206 miles per hour (332 km/h).