August 17 and 18, 2024, were big days for US hypercar fans. On the 17th, the Koenigsegg Jesko made its official American debut at The Quail Motorsports Gathering in Carmel, California. The following day, Koenigsegg presented the first Jesko to a US customer, with hypercar enthusiast F.J. Miller receiving the honors. Despite small tweaks to meet US specifications, it remains a monstrous edition to the American hypercar scene, and more deliveries are expected before the year is out.
For more than 30 years, Koenigsegg has been a major player in the worldwide hypercar scene. However, outside of diehard circles, many people here are unfamiliar with the Swedish company and its Jesko—even though the vehicle officially debuted in 2019 at the Geneva Motor Show. With the first model now on US shores, I wanted to take another look at the Jesko plus some other hypercars in the Koenigsegg pipeline. Whether you’ve been following Koenigsegg for decades or are just learning about them now, the Jesko may well have you picking your jaw off the floor.
What is the Koenigsegg Jesko?
First, here’s a quick recap of the Koenigsegg company. Founded in 1994 by Christian von Koenigsegg, the company has long been committed to making world-class megacars that look amazing and are a bit unconventional. After eight years of development, they released their first vehicle in 2002, the street-legal CC8S which had a supercharged 655 hp engine, a carbon fiber roof, an eye-catching wraparound windshield, and flip-up doors. Future models included the Koenigsegg CCR, CCX, Agera, One:1, and Regera, each of which combined inventive new automotive technology with tributes to the Koenigsegg leg.
All this led to the Jesko. Named for Christian’s father, the main model is the Jesko Attack, a track-focused hypercar that puts even purpose-built Formula 1 cars to shame. It uses a redesigned and updated version of the 5.0L twin-turbo V8 engine first found in the Regera hybrid. Although the Jesko Attack powerplant is internal combustion only, the updates are enough to generate 1,280 hp using regular pump gasoline. If you have access to E85 biofuel, that jumps to 1,600 hp with 1,106 lb-ft of torque. One dyno test showed a potential top speed of 311 mph—almost half the speed of sound!
That’s not all the Jesko Attack offers. Koenigsegg used it as the launching pad for their automatic Light Speed Transmission (LST) system with nine forward gears and seven multi-disc clutches that let drivers change gears almost instantaneously. The body design delivers up to 3,100 lbs of downforce from its dynamic rear wing, large front splitters, wheel diffusers, and other aero features, keeping the car glued to corners. The reinforced chassis and bucket seats are made of carbon fiber that is incredibly strong, responsive, and lightweight. (You can upgrade the aluminum wheels to carbon fiber, too).
Add in four-setting traction control, an electronic rear differential, adjustable ride height, and ventilated ceramic disc brakes, and you’ve got a true mega-machine. There are also two controller touchscreens in the steering wheel with a track-inspired instrument panel and G-force meter to see whether you’re in a safe zone. All that comes at a price, of course—the listed retail cost at the unveiling was an eyebrow-raising $3 million. But if you want the best of the best, it takes some serious cash.
Breaking the Laguna Seca Lap Record
I’m sure some of you are wondering how those specs translate to performance. Well, wonder no more. The same day F.J. Miller received his Jesko Attack, Koenigsegg test driver Markus Lundh brought one to the famous Laguna Seca Raceway in California. It was the first time both car and driver had seen the 2.24-mile course.
So what happened? Lundh blistered the Monterey County track in one minute and 24.86 seconds—breaking the previous production vehicle record by just over half a second. That’s also faster than the official track records in more than a dozen major racing series, including US F2000, Trans-Am TA1, IMSA GTP, and Supersport motorcycles. You can watch the record-breaking lap here.
It’s the second major production vehicle record for the Jesko Attack. Niklas Lilja previously circled Sweden’s Gotland Ring in two minutes and 56.97 seconds, breaking the previous mark by nearly eight seconds. I can only imagine what Lundh and the Jesko might do in another Laguna Seca go-round now that they have some experience there.
The Jesko Absolut: The Jesko on PEDs
If you thought the Jesko Attack was borderline unfathomable, wait until you meet the Jesko Absolut. While much of the vehicle is the same, including the powertrain and suspension, the aerodynamics have been massaged like an athlete who needs their muscles as loose as possible. The wing has been replaced by hood fins, reducing drag while maintaining stability. The Jesko Absolut also comes with a long tail, underbody flaps, and dished rear wheels.
Downforce is understandably much lower than the Jesko Attack, topping out at 331 pounds. But grip isn’t the primary goal of the Jesko Absolut—speed is. Koenigsegg is predicting a top speed of up to 350 mph; they’re planning an attempt at the current production car top-speed record before the end of 2024. I’ll be on the alert to see if they pull it off.
Other Koenigsegg Projects
As mouth-watering as the Jesko Attack and Jesko Absolut are, they’re already spoken for. Koenigsegg is building 125 Jesko hypercars in total, and they sold out within five days of the premiere. So, what other opportunities are there to get your paws on a Koenigsegg machine? Two notable options are set to hit the streets and tracks soon:
The Koenigsegg Gemera: A Family-Friendly Supercar
This plug-in hybrid is Koenigsegg’s first four-seat hypercar and a rocket of a machine. There’s a choice of a 2.0L twin-turbo inline-three cylinder engine or the same twin-turbo V8 as the Jesko, both of which are paired with the three electric motors and direct-drive transmission Koenigsegg introduced with the Regera. Combined, this produces 1,400 hp with the I3 and 2,300 hp with the V8. I can’t even comprehend that much power!
The Gemera goes from 0 to 60 mph in less than two seconds, and it’s equipped with a nine-speed Light Speed Tourbillon Transmission, all-wheel drive with torque vectoring, adjustable anti-roll bars, carbon wheels, and a lot of other goodies. Koenigsegg even throws in driver safety assistance features like adaptive cruise control and parking assist. It’s practical for the road and a demon on the track. What more could you ask for? And compared to the Jesko, it’s a bargain at $1.9 million.
The Koenigsegg CC850: Modernizing the Original Road Car
As a tribute to the Koenigsegg CC8S that started it all, the CC850 merged vintage design with the latest automotive performance. The 5.0L twin-turbo V8 is back, tuned to get 1,385 hp and 1,020 lb-ft of torque with E85 (1,185 with gasoline). This matches the weight of 1,385 kg (3,053 lb.), giving the CC8S the rare 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. The LST transmission of the Jesko is matched to an Engage Shifter System that lets the driver change gear ratios and driving modes whenever they want—and you can manually select six of the forward gears for personalized shifting.
The suspension and chassis are remarkably similar to the Jesko, from the double-wishbone front to the carbon ceramic brakes. Mounted on it is a body that expands on the style of the original — literally, since the vehicle is wider, taller, and longer. It’s simultaneously retro and futuristic for those who want both. Koenigsegg originally planned to make 50 CC850s—at a price tag of $3.1 million—but expanded this to 70 due to demand.
The New Boss of Hypercars
Many casual fans are familiar with hypercar manufacturers like Ferrari, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Pagani. However, between the arrival of the Jesko and the pending deliveries of the Gemera and CC850, there should be no doubt about Koenigsegg’s place at the table. They don’t make many cars—only 250 total in their first 20 years—but the ones they make are setting the standard for excellence. Now that the Jesko Attack is on US soil and setting records, maybe more people will take notice of this new Swedish megacar superpower.
