Koenigsegg's Jesko Absolut Just Blew Through Two Production Car Speed Records
Speed is something that car enthusiasts will always marvel over, especially as hypercars become faster and faster. There is now a new hypercar record to beat after the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut took to the track. Driven by test driver Markus Lundh — while holding what looks like a Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 10 Pro in one hand no less — the Jesko Absolut has now set a new quarter-mile time of 8.54 seconds and half-mile time of 12.76 seconds. It's now the fastest production car in history for these distances; it's the first time a production car has hit 186 miles per hour in a quarter mile.
The video from inside the cockpit is extremely shaky. You can feel the intensity of Lundh's run. "That was a nice little cruise into the sunset I'd say," he jokes afterward — a pretty funny reaction after a record-breaking run that Koenigsegg didn't even believe was possible. Still, the vehicle's fast transmission, advanced traction control, and triplex suspension proved extremely capable. Upgraded performance software also made the difference, which will be an over-the-air update for all Jesko Absolut customers. Of course, this would be exciting if more of us owned this $2.8 million hypercar.
What made the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut's records seem impossible
What makes the records even more incredible is that Koenigsegg wasn't really setting out to break them. The surfaces weren't even prepped. Serious drag racers will coat the concrete with a prepping compound that's lit on fire to spread it evenly on the surface. This was just Koenigsegg's test track. "It's just amazing what our cars are capable of doing when it comes to straight-line acceleration. It's not a priority, it's not what they're designed for, to be drag racing cars," said CEO Christian von Koenigsegg on the company's YouTube channel going on to note that the car is designed more for cornering and steering feel.
Most cars focused on reaching incredible straight-line speeds are all-wheel drive with electric motors. The Jesko Absolut is rear-wheel drive with a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8. With E85 gas, the engine can reach up to 1,600 horsepower. The previous quarter mile record holder was the Pininfarina Battista, a quad-motor all-electric vehicle with 1,874 horsepower that recorded 8.55 seconds.