It wasn’t long ago when Koenigsegg made headlines and claimed the title of world’s fastest production car with their 278-mph Agera RS in the Nevada desert. Although Bugatti reclaimed that title 2 years later with their Chiron Super Sport 300+, it was still an incredible achievement for a relatively new car manufacturer. The Swedish company is now back at it again with their latest land missile, the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut. According to Koenigsegg, their new hypercar will be the fastest series-production road car that the company will ever aspire to produce. Considering Koenigsegg’s performance capacity and history of extreme cars, we’re guessing that promise will take some serious restraint to honor. For now, we’ll just have to take their word for it and appreciate the significance of this car and what it means for the company.
The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is the record-setting top speed variant of the track-oriented Jesko. With a focus on maximum velocity, Koenigsegg put a great amount of effort into streamlining the shape of the vehicle to reduce drag and improve its aerodynamic design. The result of that is a drag coefficient of 0.278 Cd. Aerodynamic enhancements include the removal of the rear wing found on the standard car. That deletion alone reduces downforce by 2,755 pounds. Also gone are the front splitter and hood air duct. The rear of the car was extended by 85 mm for a long and sleek design. To improve high-speed stability, two vertical fins have been added at the rear. Additional aerodynamic efficiency is provided through new removable rear-wheel covers.
A 5.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 that generates a staggering 1,600 horsepower and 1,106 lb-ft of torque provides massive thrust. The flat-plane crank engine spins to an incredible 8,500 rpm. A Koenigsegg designed and built 9-speed multi-clutch transmission translates the enormous power. According to the manufacturer, the new transmission is 50% smaller than their other units and weighs less than 200 pounds. The company’s Ultimate Power On Demand (UPOD) system selects the best gear for maximum power and acceleration with lighting-fast shifts. Factoring in all the aerodynamic improvements, the power and the gear ratios, Koenigsegg claims that the car should be able to reach about 330 mph–in theory. Finding a stretch of asphalt long enough to reach that speed will be a challenge. However, the company plans on completing an official test run within a year.
The Jesko will be limited to just 125 examples, but there is no indication on the number of Absolut variants. The cost should be considerably more than the $3,000,000 track-focused model.