- The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolute is the first production car to exceed 300 km/h (186 mph) in the quarter mile.
- Sweden’s hypercar reached speeds of 190 mph (305 km/h) at the end of the quarter mile.
- It completed the half mile at a trap speed of 373 km/h (232 mph).
- Both represent top speed records for production cars.
There are only three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Koenigsegg setting some records. The Swedish hypercar company is in the same position again, this time killing two birds with one stone at its home airfield in Engelholm. On June 6, the country’s National Day, the Jesko Absolute became the first production car to exceed 300 km/h (186 mph) in the quarter mile. Factory test driver Markus Lund was clocked at a speed of 305.39 km/h (189.76 mph) at the quarter-mile mark.
Not only this. The high-speed run continued until the half-mile mark, where the mid-engine V8 beast reached 373.87 km/h (232.31 mph). All staggering figures were independently verified by Racelogic, making the double-speed records for the quarter-mile and half-mile completely valid. Onboard telemetry also revealed that the Jesko Absolute took just 2.35 seconds to accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph), while going from 0 to 300 km/h (186 mph) took a mere 8.3 seconds.
The result is even more impressive when you consider that the car is entirely rear-wheel drive and doesn’t benefit from any kind of hybrid assistance. At the same time, the double-record run took place on an unprepared surface, and the Jesko was equipped with Absolute production-spec tyres. Oh, and as the attached footage shows, the driver was holding the phone in one hand and keeping the car upright with the other.
OTA update for additional performance
If you’re one of those one-percenters whose Jesko Absolut is relaxing in a climate-controlled garage, Koenigsegg has some good news. The changes that made this record possible will be pushed through an over-the-air update to already manufactured vehicles, causing additional degradation in performance.
The rate at which the Jesko Absolute accelerates is unreal, and would not be possible without the virtually instantaneous response of the nine-speed automatic transmission. It needed only 2.53 seconds to go from 100 to 200 km/h (62 to 124 mph), while the V8 sent power exclusively to the rear wheels, with no front-mounted electric motor to assist.
| tests | Time |
| 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) | 2.35 seconds |
| 0-124 mph (0-200 km/h) | 4.88 seconds |
| 0-186 mph (0-300 km/h) | 8.30 seconds |
| 62–124 mph (100–200 km/h) | 2.53 seconds |
| 124–186 mph (200–300 km/h) | 3.43 seconds |
| quarter mile | 8.54 seconds |
| half a mile | 12.76 seconds |
Jesko is too quick to bend minds, but Koenigsegg will be on top of it
Koenigsegg is confident it can unlock even more speed, although not necessarily with the Jesko Absolute. Company founder and CEO Christian von Koenigsegg indicated that the more practical four-seat Gemera could go even faster in a straight line because it is a hybrid with all-wheel drive and significantly more power. The electrified V8 delivers 2,300 hp combined, while the Jesko Absolute can generate “only” 1,280 hp, or 1,600 hp when running on E85 fuel.
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Motor1’s Opinion: The fact that Mr Koenigsegg is already predicting that the Gemera will overtake the Jesko Absolute, despite being a heavier car, shows that the company is far from done chasing the record. Here’s hoping Bugatti gets in on the action with a new V16-powered Tourbillon and we haven’t heard the last of Rimac’s Navara R.
We haven’t forgotten about the Hennessey Venom F5 or the SSC Tuatara, but it’s been a minute since any of these American brands shared meaningful updates about their products. Speaking of the United States, Chevrolet has suggested that the Corvette ZR1X is the final expression of the C8 generation, making it the potential final boss of the current lineup.
