Koenigsegg Jesko: Sweden’s head-turning hypercar

Koenigsegg is proud of the fact that in Angelholm, Sweden, it produces the world’s fastest car – in the world’s slowest car-building factory. The quality-over-quantity manufacturer builds its frankly mind-blowing motors in hangars formerly occupied by the fighter-jet squadron of the Swedish air force. That’s convenient because final testing of the all-new Jesko “hypercar”, which computer simulations indicate is capable of travelling in excess of 300mph, will take place on the adjacent runway.

Christian von Koenigsegg is the company founder and CEO, and he named the Jesko after his father, who helped him set up the supercar company when he was a broke 22-year-old. This is Christian’s way of thanking his father, now 80 years old. “It certainly beats chocolates and a card,” as Jack Rix puts it in Top Gear. The car didn’t so much turn heads on its launch at this year’s Geneva motor show in March as send them spinning.

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The Jesko features a twin-turbo, five-litre V8 engine with a newly designed crankshaft, which tips the scales at only 27.5 lbs, making it the lightest production V8 crankshaft in the world. This allows the engine to produce more power with greater efficiency and moves the rev limit up to 8,500 rpm. The car will blow your mind, says Kyle Hyatt on cnet.com The performance figures “read like science fiction”.

Yet a Jesko driver “won’t be wanting for luxury”, says Rix. The car comes with climate control, an Apple infotainment system, USB sockets and wireless charging for your phone. A screen attached to the wheel displays all relevant information – it stays level as the wheel turns around it – and an optional analogue meter on top of the dash will even tell you what G-force the car’s extraordinary performance is subjecting you to. Yet despite a starting price a little shy of £2.4m, every one of the 125 Jeskos being produced has been sold. If you’ve missed out, not to worry – Koenigsegg is working with electric car specialists NEVS on a larger-volume hybrid, which will set you back a mere £800,000.

This article was originally published in MoneyWeek