Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Gunning For Top Speed Record Later This Year

Koenigsegg is still committed to seeing just how fast the Jesko Absolut can go, with company founder Christian von Koenigsegg revealing to Swedish media that the boutique automaker is planning to set a new speed record «already this year.» That's according to Carup, which reports that von Koenigsegg still has faith in his car's ability to exceed every other top-speed attempt and become the fastest street-legal production car.

What's more, Koenigsegg's attempt will shy away from deceptive headlines.

«Bugatti has only driven in one direction and with a car in a specification that customers cannot buy,» notes von Koenigsegg. «Even SSC's record is set with a car that is not homologated for road use. Our record with the Koenigsegg Agera was set with a production car, and the new record attempt will also be made with a series-produced Jesko fully approved for street use.»

The CEO added that the attempt will be carried out in two directions with a car in the same specification that customers can buy, which should mean that even the highly specialized tires necessary for such a car will be available to Jesko buyers after the attempt is made.

«Hopefully, we can go for the record already this year,» said von Koenigsegg. But before we get too excited, the same challenges that Koenigsegg has faced before still exist, namely finding a road long enough and one that can be used legally. The CEO doubts that any Swedish roads will meet the needs of a record attempt, and we wouldn't be surprised to see a Swedish hypercar stretch its legs somewhere in America once again.

Long roads do exist in Sweden — a two-mile runway was the site of a new 0-249-0 mph record last year — but top-speed runs need much, much more space.

Finding a venue will be a huge challenge, but if the Jesko Absolut hits its targets, it will be worth any effort required. Happily, it seems that Christian still has lofty expectations for his creation. Taking into account the Absolut's drag coefficient of 0.278, gearing, and power curve simulations, the CEO says, «What we have said is that our theoretical models show that the car can handle over 500 km/h — now we want to show what the car is capable of in reality.»