The boss of Koenigsegg drives a… three-cylinder Toyota hatchback. Wait, what?

Breaking news: the boss of one of the world’s rarest and most exclusive hypercar companies responsible for record-smashing top speed machines drives a small, three-cylinder Toyota hatchback to work.

So, he’s human after all. Except… he’s not, because Christian von Koenigsegg – boss of… Koenigsegg – doesn’t just drive any small, three-cylinder Toyota hatchback. He drives a Toyota GR Yaris, which is one of the world’s very finest hot hatches.

“Nothing like a little three-cylinder madness for the morning commute,” CvK said on Instagram. “I love small cars!”

As do we, Christian. Small cars are brilliant. Especially ones built by a rally team that are then converted to road use by way of a couple of number plates and indicators. In fact, it barely even qualifies as a regular Yaris, because of its WRC duties first and foremost.

Under the bonnet lies the thing CvK is most happy about: the GR Yaris’s 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine, developing 276bhp/288lb ft in the updated version (up from 257/266lb ft in the original car). Sounds great. Does what you want it to.

CvK obviously has a soft-spot for three-pots, because he designed and built one and called it the ‘Tiny Friendly Giant’. It was a 600bhp camless wonder originally destined for use in the Gemera, before being shelved because most buyers wanted the V8 Gemera instead. Shame.

“That technology [three-cylinder] is still interesting,” CvK told TopGear.com last year. “We’re still working on it. We might eventually do it in the Gemera one day in some version.”

When we politely asked if CvK could make a 600bhp Koenigsegg city car, he replied: “We have ideas on the ‘Eggster’! Like a sub-brand!” Naturally, he was joking… but we’re not. Because the boss of one of the world’s rarest and most exclusive hypercar companies responsible for record-smashing top speed machines really rather likes small, three-cylinder hatchbacks.