Christian Von Koenigsegg set no specific goals when he started to build his own engine. He simply wanted to create the best, most extreme engine possible. After years of testing and refinement, the latest 5.0-liter V8 weighs just 198 kg while putting out almost 1,200 horsepower. Certain aspects of the powertrain, such as the flex-fuel sensor - a system Koenigsegg says Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche will be replicating in their new hypercars - are hugely impressive, particularly for a such relatively small operation.

But what's most fascinating is that Koenigsegg is proving the combustion engine has a long way to go. Its hypercar technology maximizes performance and minimizes emissions. If this trickled down to small cars, says Christian, you would have a 1.3-liter three-pot with 300 hp weighing just 50 kg.