Hey Jesko! First Wild 300 mph Koenigsegg Hits the Road
It’s Orange! Koenigsegg Jesko No. 1 of 125 out and about as production ramps up.
This is big news for real speed freaks. The first production Koenigsegg Jesko has broken cover as the Swedish company limbers up to break the 300 mph and 500 km/h barriers for the first time with a production car.
Before we continue, let’s take a quick look at Koenigsegg’s production car speed record history. The company has perennially owned the official fastest production car in the world gong since it stole the record on a 245 mph run with its CCR in 2005. It wrested the mark back with a 277 mph attack abpard the 1,176 hp Agera RS in November 2017.
The Swedish Kings of Speed
So all was well for the Swedish Kings of Speed. Until January this year that is. When US upstart SSC smashed that Nordic serenity. It eventually managed to put an official 282.9 mph trot together with its Tuatara.
Now the world is waiting with bated breath as Koenigsegg prepares to officially release Jesko in spring 2022, by when it fully expects the Vmax crown will be back in its cupboard in Ängelholm. This example, number 1 of 125 ,is the first pre-production Jesko resplendent in its orange pearl hue with accents in silver and carbonfibre. Is it coincidence that it’s in the same get-up the company applied to its maiden speed record smashing CCR? We don’t think so either!
Special Tuned Air Shot Intake
Jesko is powered by a five-liter biturbo V8. It has a 27.5 lbs. 180-degree flat-plane crankshaft, specially designed connecting rods and high performance pistons. To see it rev beyond 8,500 rpm. Jesko also has a patented inlet system with larger turbochargers to precisely balance pressures between the individual cylinders. A small compressor feeds a carbon air tank to distribute 20 bar ‘air shots’ to pre-load the turbos on demand, for instant response.
Producing 1,298 HP and 1.106 lb.-ft when running on regular gasoline, Jesko powers up to 1,622 hp when fuelled by E85 bioethanol. But it’s high jinks are certainly not confined to that engine. Weighing just 198 lbs, its transmission loses synchronizer rings and picks up no less than six clutches. It works a bit like the sprockets on a bicycle to deliver nine possible ratios from three sets of three cogs to allow it to skip gears if required. For ultimate acceleration at full power.