The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is edging closer to its goal of becoming the fastest road car in the world after a jaw-dropping test showed it could hit 311mph
The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is edging closer to snatching the title of the world’s fastest road car, with computer simulations indicating it might smash through the 311mph barrier.
Swedish visionary Christian von Koenigsegg, who has been at the forefront of hypercar design for over two decades, is the genius behind this potential record-breaking machine.
With the Jesko Absolut, he’s dialled up his ambitions, engineering it with one goal in mind: to outpace every other road car on the planet.
The challenge is to dethrone the current fastest car manufacturer Bugatti, but Mr von Koenigsegg and his team are armed with data and determination to topple the Franco-German kings.
In a chat with Top Gear Magazine, Mr von Koenigsegg shared insights into their preparation, saying: “We have our supercomputer simulations. We’ve been to a German wind tunnel with the Jesko Attack and Absolut, so we know exactly how the aero works on the car.”
Despite the uncertainty that comes with pushing the limits of speed, Koenigsegg believes the Absolut could exceed even what their simulations have shown.
Delving deeper, Mr von Koenigsegg disclosed: “We punched those numbers into the very advanced system of the chassis dyno. And it calculates the rolling resistance of the tyre, the drag of the car, it puts correct load on the car at 500kmh if we reach there… and we managed to pass 500kmh in ninth gear before hitting the rev limiter and still having some space in the chassis dyno.”
The Absolut, with the right tyres, conditions, and platform, could potentially exceed 311mph, a speed far greater than the 304mph Bugatti achieved in 2019 with the Chiron Super Sport.
However, before Koenigsegg could even contemplate surpassing Bugatti’s record, they had to tackle the challenges of physics with their Jesko Absolut.
The car in question boasts a carbon-fibre body for strength and lightness. It also features an ultra-slippery body for maximum efficiency and aerodynamics; the aim is to ensure stability at speeds above 300mph.
Under the bonnet of the Jesko is a supercharged 1,578bhp flat-plane crank 5.1 litre V8 engine that delivers power to the wheels through a nine-speed transmission. A whopping 1,106 lb-ft of torque helps propel the Jesko Absolut to its top speed.
On paper, the Jesko Absolut appears ready to not only claim but dominate the world’s fastest car record. However, Mr von Koenigsegg admits there are two obstacles.
The first is finding the right location. The Jesko Absolut requires a long enough stretch of road to build up and gradually reduce speed without the need for hard acceleration from a standing start or abrupt braking at the end of a runway.
The second significant hurdle is tyres, sourcing rubber that can withstand the immense forces exerted on them during the run, and tyres capable of enduring speeds over 300mph.
Five years ago in 2019, when Bugatti made its attempts, they circumvented these problems with specially designed Michelin tyres and by conducting their runs at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien test track.
They had access to this specialised facility because VW was the owner of Bugatti at the time of the record attempts.
