Koenigsegg Jesko – The new king of hypercars has arrived

Initial predictions that the successor to the Agera would be named Ragnarok were wrong. And as a tribute to his father, Jesko, Christian Von Koenigsegg named the new car after him. And that is not something to take lightly, this must be a special car.

Discussions about a more budget friendly car were also cut short. The Jesko was revealed at the Geneva motor show in a full on track package. And with a price of around 3 million dollar, the price certainly seems to be up to hypercar levels. This seems odd since Christian, the founder and owner of Koenigsegg, talked a great deal about a more “affordable” car for the masses. Well, all is relative in the world of ultra exclusive speed freaks. But as I mentioned earlier, the car revealed was the most extreme Jesko you could buy, which gives some possibility that the more road friendly model should not be as hefty a price tag of 6-7 million sek.

What is new then? Almost everything. The exterior is still resembling the Agera, and from a distance, it would be easy to say that the changes are minute, which is far from the case. The Jesko has been designed in a wind tunnel, meaning optimal downforce. It is when you look at the details you start to notice the lengths of which Koenigsegg has gone to create the ultimate hypercar. One simple detail to confirm this statement is the biggest wing ever to be fitted to a production car. It is absolutely massive. I am not so sure on the front lights though.

The whole body, or monocoque, is redone to increase not just rigidity, but also passenger comfort such as more head and legroom.

Under the rear bonnet lies a beast of an engine. A v8 with twin turbos will with ordinary petrol put out 1280 hp, but if you go for the corn, E85 that is, that number will rise to 1600 hp. The speed record seems to fall again. All this power goes through a unique multi-plated 9-speed transmission. In ordinary English it means that the car will shift in an instant, it is extremely light, and it is not just necessarily the transmission itself that is important. But also the electronical systems that decide when the power is applied. It is here where many car manufacturers get it wrong, or perfect.

Further, rear wheel steering is also fitted to the Jesko. I have tried some cars with this feature, and if you are not used to the feeling, it is not just a different feeling. It can also be daunting. And with the Jeskos humongous power I wonder how well this system will cope.

Writing this article gets me all warm and fuzzy inside. To think that a small company in Sweden started from the bottom, and is now producing the most exciting cars on the planet, would be unheard of a decade ago. Koenigsegg is really changing the game.