Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren. These are just some of the manufacturers that have been beaten to one of the biggest hypercar milestones of the modern era. That's because Swedish brand Koenigsegg has just revealed its new 1,176kW Jesko - the first road-legal car that's capable of hitting speeds of 300mp/h, or 483km/h.
The monumental achievement was claimed by the vehicle maker on Tuesday with the release of its eighteenth model, officially unveiled for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show.
The Jesko's arrival comes just 24 hours after fellow Swedish automaker Volvo announced all of its cars sold from 2020 will have a restricted top speed of 180km/h - less than half what the new Koenigsegg will be capable of.
The Jesko - named after owner Christian von Koenigsegg's father - uses a five-litre twin-turbo V8 engine to catapult it to speeds never before experienced by drivers of road cars.
That said, it does need to cheat to get there.
That's because the full 300mph-hitting 1,578bhp of power quoted is only available when the hypercar has E85 ethanol racing fuel pumped into the 5,000cc motor.
Using conventional high-octane unleaded, the power is sapped to 940kW - though that's terrifyingly potent. Torque - or pulling power - stands at around 1,500Nm, so it should fire off the line with unhinged abruptness before unrelentingly accelerating to 483kmh when the throttle is mashed.
Koenigsegg hasn't revealed what the drop in power does to the overall top speed and 400km/h-plus potential - not that you'll ever be able to get near the unfathomable figure on the road.
What makes this landmark speed achievement more unbelievable is the fact that Volvo announced a mere 24 hours before the Jesko's unveiling that it would electronically limit the top speed of all of its new cars to 112mph from next year.
While Volvo - which is synonymous with safety - said this is part of bigger plans to cut road deaths, Koenigsegg's warp-speed hypercar seems less concerned with this matter.
What also helps the Jesko hit speeds not yet achieved by any car with number plates is the sheer lightness of the construction. It uses a carbon fibre monocoque to keep mass as featherweight as possible, while the V8 engine tips the scales at just 189kg, making it the world's lightest V-mounted eight cylinder ever.
Power from the trimmed-down motor is directed to the wheels using a nine-speed 'Light Speed Transmission' with three clutches in total, which has also been put on a diet and weighs just 90kg wet.
Koenigsegg says this advanced gearbox is as smart as it is light and can even learn the driver's style and ready the optimal gear for a corner based on the owner's previous behaviour.
A manual option is also available - at a price. And to guarantee all that hulking thrust is kept in check, there's an electronic differential to dispense the power appropriately.
To ensure the Jesko stays flat at all times the carbon tub - technology lifted straight from F1 - is linked to a set of electronically adjustable active shock absorbers and a rear-mounted horizontal damper to prevent the car from squatting under harsh acceleration.
Koenigsegg want it to turn as well as it goes in a straight line, so it also gets active rear wheel steering to improve the turning circle during low speeds and bolsters stability when cornering at pace.
As with previous Koenigseggs, it also gets a raft of active aero features - this includes an active rear wing and front splitter. And to improve air flow and reduce turbulence there's also the hypercar must-have of a whopping great diffuser.
With your foot firmly planted into the floor at a speed of 273km/h, the car will generate more than 1,000kg of downforce. Maximum downforce quoted by the manufacturer is 1,400kg - so it's like cornering with a Ford Focus slammed on the roof.
Joachim Nordwall, design director at the Swedish brand, said the design is "more agile" than we've seen from a Koenigsegg yet.
"We adopted a ‘shrinkwrap’ approach to skinning this car, using crisp angles and lines to eliminate empty spaces and make the design as effective as possible," he said. "I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with this car. It’s new, but it’s also classic Koenigsegg."
Inside, there's plenty of practicality, with generous levels of leather materials, fully adjustable seats and a nine-inch infotainment touchscreen featuring Apple CarPlay.
Koenigsegg has yet to release full pricing details for the Jesko, though it should ring in between $1–1.5million before options (which includes carbon-fibre wheels) - putting it into direct opposition with McLaren's Senna hypercar.
- Daily Mail
