Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Will Attempt A Speed Record In 2024
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Everyone knows the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is a genuinely fast hypercar, but its true limits still haven’t been fully explored. For the automaker’s founder, Christian von Koenigsegg, that’s a problem he’s looking to solve.
The Quail is set to honor Koenigsegg during Monterey Car Week this year.
At least that’s what he told Swedish automotive site Carup in a recent interview. With production of the Jesko officially underway and several Jesko Attack track-only hypercars delivered to customers, excitement among the faithful is at a high. But with the first Absolut, the top-speed version of the Jesko, finally in the hands of the first lucky customer, the company wants to push the envelope.
Built to go over 310 mph, the Jesko Absolut is an extreme vehicle, even by hypercar standards. When the company does a speed record attempt later this year, it could easily become the world’s fastest production car, a fact which no doubt will rankle Bugatti and Hennessey.
With a 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 mounted in the middle of the chassis, the Koenigsegg can produce an earth-shattering 1,625-horsepower when running on E85. To make the most of that, the company has created a patented transmission called the Light Speed Transmission with nine forward gears.
The big difference between the Attack and Absolut is in the hypercar’s aero. For the former it’s built for cornering control at high speeds. But the latter has aero elements designed to reduce drag in extreme ways, allowing it to reach potentially record-setting top speeds.
With the Jesko being a fresh production vehicle and there being only one Absolut in existence, Koenigsegg hasn’t tested out the upper limits of performance. That might sound like insanity to those who are used to high-production cars, but it’s not uncommon with boutique hypercars.
As a true tinkerer, this question seems to be burning in Christian von Koenigsegg’s mind, which is why he told Carup that he’s going to test out the theoretical top speed of 310-plus mph out in reality.
There’s quite a bit of disagreement about which is the fastest production car in the world at the moment. Some argue the Bugatti Chiron with its 490 kmh (304 mph) top speed is the record holder, but some have questioned the validity of that speed run. The Koenigsegg Agera RS has an allegedly uncontested top speed record of 447 kmh (277 mph) but even that’s controversial.
Perhaps Koenigsegg is looking to put the top speed record debate to rest once and for all with the Jesko Absolut. While it sounds like the attempt will be made in Sweden, we don’t know when and so everyone is forced to wait and see what the Swedish automaker has planned.
Images via Koenigsegg
