The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Is A Low-Drag Missile With 300mph Potential

When eying up the Koenigsegg Jesko, it’s hard not to get distracted by the rear wing. It’s huge as well as being a thing of engineering beauty. The trouble is, while great for fast cornering, such an aero piece will generate vast amounts of drag and hamper top speed.

That’s not ideal when there’s a new speed war brewing. Bugatti threw down the gauntlet with a stunning 304mph run in its Chiron Super Sport, and meanwhile, the Hennessey Venom F5 and SSC Tuatara are being prepped for 300mph glory. But Koenigsegg has an answer - it’s just ditched the Jesko’s giant wing to create the Jesko Absolut.

In the wing’s place are two fighter jet-inspired spins which tidy the airflow, increasing stability at high speeds while lowering drag. It’s far from the only change, though - the Absolut comes with extended rear bodywork, wheel covers, fewer vents and grilles at the front and a lower ride height.

As with the more track-oriented version of the Jesko, propulsion comes from a 1600bhp, 1106lb ft twin-turbo V8. It powers the rear wheels via a hilariously complicated seven-clutch, nine-speed gearbox. The very thought of how that might work will likely give you a headache.

As well as being slipperier than the standard Jesko, the Absolut should be much easier to live with. A more compact front suspension setup means owners will - providing they’ve ditched the “front hood air dam” stow the roof in the frunk.

Plus, the reduction in downforce means the ride “could be made a bit softer,” Koenigsegg says, which “makes Absolut very fun and forgiving around a race track and truly comfortable and ‘streetable’”. Is Koenigsegg actually billing this as a hypercar you can daily? It certainly sounds like it.

You’re probably wondering what kind of performance figures to expect from this monster, and the answer right now is that we don’t know. In the car’s press release, the Swedish company merely says, “How fast? Time will tell,” adding, “Looking at the math and our advanced simulations - it will be unbelievably fast.”

The Agera RS, you might recall, was able to hit 284mph in Nevada a few years ago, despite still wearing the kind of big aero devices the Jesko Absolut has binned.

Let the high-speed battle commence…