The hypercar space has become increasingly crowded over the past decade, occupied by both mainstream and specialist brands. Among them, there is a particular Swedish company run by a brilliant man called Christian von Koenigsegg. Like other legends, he used his family name for his automotive brand started in 1994. In 2019, Koenigsegg unveiled its latest creation which Christian named after his father – the Jesko.
It made its global debut at the 2019 Geneva motor show and the official name reveal was a surprise for Christian’s dad. Clearly, the new Jesko is a special car even before we get to its insane performance specifications. It is the new flagship, track-focused model and the successor to the Agera RS but hopefully, it won’t be as rare.
The Jesko has a redesigned twin-turbo -litre 5.0-litre V8 with a new 180-degree flat-plane crankshaft, new intake, bigger turbos with air injection and more precise pressure control. It uses active engine mounts to counter the vibrations from such engine design, first seen in the Regera. The air injection system is designed by Koenigsegg themselves. It uses a small compressor and carbon fibre air tank to shoot 20-bar of air into the turbos to pre-spool them for immediate response. The powertrain churns out 1262bhp when using regular petrol but if you fill the Jesko with E85 fuel, the engine has 1578bhp and 1500Nm on offer.
Surprisingly, the Regera’s direct-drive transmission will not be offered on the Jesko. Instead, the new Koenigsegg track weapon gets its own, new, lightweight 9-speed multi-clutch transmission. It uses seven clutches for changes between any gear almost instantaneously. By the carmaker’s own example, most DCT’s use two clutches. One is engaged while the other pre-selects what it anticipates as the next gear but in a sequence. So if you’re in 7th and you want to drop to 4th, the transmission will go through 5th and 6th before engaging 4th. However, Koenigsegg’s own LST allows the driver to change to the optimal gear for acceleration much faster, regardless of the current gear, like changing from 7th to 4th. The company calls this system ‘Ultimate Power on Demand’. The driver can shift gears with either the steering wheel paddles or manual-style shifter in the central console, both featuring a double-notch mechanism. The first notch shifts up or down one gear while the second notch engages the UPD system.
The Jesko’s monocoque is longer and taller than that of the Agera RS and still has immense structural rigidity. For improved driving dynamics, it features active rear-wheel steering, F1-style elongated wishbones, an active Triplex damper added to the front suspension and comes with an aero package that offers over 1000kg of downforce. Not bad for a car that only has a curb weight of 1420kg.
Koenigsegg themselves claim that the Jesko is the most aerodynamically aggressive car they’ve made till date. It has a massive, active double-profile rear wing that curves around its rear form which maximises its rearward positioning and surface area to push the car down into the road. The rear table is top-mounted to minimise aero disturbance on the underside of it. To keep the front end sticking to the tarmac, Koenigsegg has fitted its deepest-ever front splitter to the Jesko. It also has active under-body flaps to release and or increase downforce as needed while lapping a circuit. However, the Jesko will also be offered with a low-drag aero package option that would be capable of reaching 300mph.
From performance aerodynamics, let’s look at the comforts of the Jesko. It gets a re-engineered version of Koenigsegg’s dihedral synchro-helix doors for better access and protection from the high curbs. The carbon roof can be easily removed but unlike some other Koenigseggs, this one can’t be stowed into the front-trunk. The Jesko’s cabin isn’t spartan but it is not the most accommodating either. It is a blend of luxury materials and track-focused geekery. The SmartCluster digital dashboard with a 5-inch display is mounted directly on the steering wheel. The steering wheel has two touchscreen displays with haptic controls for easy access to the phone, audio, vehicle lift system and more. There is a central infotainment system with a 9-inch touchscreen and the usual comforts like wireless charging, smartphone connectivity, climate control and media playback.
Each of the 125 units of the Jesko has a starting price of €2.35 million, plus options like the carbon fibre wheels. Guess what? They’re all sold out. Plus, this rendering of a cherry red Jesko is just more proof that Koengiseggs look amazing in red.
The Auto Loons 
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