Koenig (Germany) - AllCarIndex

Koenig Specials was a German tuning and engineering company founded in Munich in 1974 by Willy König, a wealthy businessman and amateur racer. The firm became known during the 1980s and 1990s for radical modifications of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and Mercedes-Benz models, offering extreme body kits, luxurious interiors, and significantly uprated performance. While controversial among purists, Koenig Specials gained a following among enthusiasts seeking exclusivity and headline-grabbing power outputs. The company ceased full vehicle production in 2001.

Among its most remarkable projects was the Koenig Specials C62, developed in the early 1990s. This was not a modified road car but a road-legal adaptation of the Porsche 962C Group C race car, one of the most successful endurance racers of its era. The C62 was produced after Porsche ended its factory sports car programme, leaving Koenig to create a limited series of road-going examples. The car retained the 962’s aerodynamic bodywork with only minor adjustments for street usability, including lighting and safety equipment.

Mechanically, the C62 was fitted with a twin-turbocharged 3.4-litre flat-six derived directly from Porsche’s racing engines, producing around 800 hp in road trim. With a kerb weight close to that of the original racer, performance figures were extreme for its time: 0–100 km/h in about 3.4 seconds and a top speed exceeding 370 km/h (230 mph). The interior was only modestly civilised compared to the spartan 962, with some concessions to comfort, but it remained closer to a race car than a grand tourer.

The C62 exemplified Koenig Specials’ philosophy of pushing beyond factory limits, translating motorsport technology into radical road vehicles. Only a very small number were produced, and the model today stands as one of the rarest and most extreme examples of 1990s German supercars.