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While it may not have quite as much drama as it did back when the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche were duking it out for the title, the battle for “fastest car in the world” continues to be one of the most hotly contested honors in the automotive world. Last year, Bugatti regained the honor by becoming the first automaker to crack the 300-mile-per-hour marker with its Chiron Super Sport 300+. At the time, that record seemed like the sort of lofty one that just might stand for quite a while.
But as the saying goes, records are made to be broken. And the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut looks like it might be just the car to break this one.
Koenigsegg, after all, is no stranger to the fastest-production-car battlefield. Before Bugatti swiped the record back in 2019, the Swedish carmaker’s Agera RS held the title, nabbed after a two-way run down a stretch of closed Nevada highway that averaged out to 277.8 miles per hour. Koenigsegg isn’t saying yet how much faster the Jesko Absolut is expected to be than that record-setter, but it does expect it to be faster. In fact, Koenigsegg expects this new machine to be the fastest car it’s ever built…or ever will build, period.
It certainly seems to have what it takes. Like the regular Jesko, the Absolut (no, it’s not named after the vodka) uses a twin-turbo V8 that cranks out 1,600 horsepower, connected to the rear wheels through the company’s innovative nine-speed Light Speed Transmission.
The biggest difference between it and the track-focused, downforce-laden Jesko is in the aerodynamics. The Jesko Absolut’s slippery skin means it has a drag coefficient of just 0.278; those twin shark fins over the engine help clean up the air as it rockets over the top of the car, reducing drag, while the small frontal area and slightly longer tail further aid the mission. As a result, maximum downforce drops from 3,080 pounds on the regular Jesko to just 330 pounds.
In addition, the Jesko Absolut should be a little more livable around town than its angrier, bewinged counterpart. The suspension is softer, as it doesn’t need to handle the crazy amounts of air pressure pushing down on the car; the front suspension’s parts are also smaller in size, giving the frunk enough room to accomodate the detachable targa top.
