Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Eyeing 330 MPH Record (2024)

Jesko Absolut

Make

Koenigsegg

Segment

Coupe

Despite the Geneva Motor Show being canceled over fears of COVID-19, Christian von Koenigsegg still hosted his full press conference at the venue, with lights, smoke, and of course, very fast cars - including the all-new Koenigsegg Gemera four-seater mega GT, and the low-drag Jesko Absolut, which is poised to take on the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ for top honors in the high-speed stakes. After the unveiling, we spoke to Christian von Koenigsegg to find out just how fast the Jesko Absolut can go, and what happens once Koenigsegg set the record to end all speed records.

330 MPH In The Cards

Koenigsegg currently holds the record for the highest speed of any production car with the Agera RS, which set a top speed of 277 mph on a Nevada highway back in 2017 (the 304 mph speed set by Bugatti was with a modified version of the Chiron Super Sport 300+ that isn't available for sale to the public). When the track-going Jesko was unveiled last year, though, Koenigsegg clientele quickly asked if it would beat the Agera RS's record. According to Christian, they told clients, "no not this one, because its a track version." He then goes on to say that "then the idea kind of came about to make a low-drag version. Because everything else works quite easily to beat the Agera RS record. It has more power, more gears, better spread out gearing, and a sleeker body. So we said, 'okay, let's do one final hurrah here,' and that's it."

With 1,600 hp from a twin-turbo V8 engine and a drag coefficient of just 0.278, the Jesko Absolut is poised to obliterate that record. While Koenigsegg hasn't made any official claims as to the Jesko Absolut's top speed, the calculations suggest the Absolut will be able to easily surpass the 300 mph mark. While the 300 mph benchmark has already been broken by Bugatti, Koenigsegg will be going one better by breaking through the metric half-ton (500 km/h) with the Absolut capable of 330.5 mph (532 km/h).

So what's stopping the Swedish hypercar company from going to Nevada again? Well, Christian admitted it's a scary prospect to go at such a speed. "I mean, we don't really want to go faster. It's just that the technology that we have is so inclined to do with this kind of low-hanging fruit," before going on to state, "having said that, it takes a lot of effort and it's dangerous."

However, an attempt will be made. "This car is capable of incredible speeds, we probably will be restricted more by road and driver willingness than the car itself." Christian also says that this will be the last top speed attempt for the brand, describing it as the brand's "last stab" at speed records.

Next Stop: Lap Records

But what happens after Koenigsegg sets the top speed record to end all top speed records? Well, Christian believes that the track-going Jesko could easily take lap records at Spa and the Nurburgring, claiming that "we could maybe set the records for the fastest fully hom*ologated production sports car." It's not the first time the brand has hinted at gunning for track records either, as a One:1 was previously seen testing on the Green Hell before meeting an untimely end.

'Fully hom*ologated' is the key phrase to take from Christian's statement, though, as he believes there's only one car capable of beating the Jesko around a track. "I think if we look at cars out there now, the [Aston Martin] Valkyrie, for example, that car might be tough to beat around the Nurburgring or Spa, but as far as I'm aware, it's not a worldwide hom*ologated car. It's, I think, a European hom*ologated car if I understand it correctly."

He hasn't ruled out the possibility of beating Aston's hypercar, though, citing that "maybe we are so fast that we can compete with the Valkyrie, I don't know."

He was, however, quick to insist that the two are very different types of hypercar. Speaking of the Valkyrie, he said "to me, that looks really like it fell off the racetrack onto the road" while he describes the Jesko in his own words as "a proper road car. I mean, you can cross continents, and sit normally upright, and it's comfortable getting in and out of it. It's a different animal than a Valkyrie."