The 808 had some real unique electronic circuits for its time.
The clap sound is very clever. Respects to the designer that thought that one up.
The cymbals were also clever. 6 oscillators around a chip actually intended for
digital use, at a time where all other drum boxes were using white noise.
The bass drum had two oscillators, not one (well, resonant filters, really)
But the one intended to simulate the beater never really cut through in practice.
The gated snare was a happy accident.
But the 808 was conceived from the ground up.