Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Just Beat 2 Speed RecordsKoenigseggThe Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut has laid down crushing acceleration times at the company's airfield in Sweden.The car is powered by a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V-8 with no hybrid assistance and rear-wheel drive only.It's faster than anything in terms of trap speeds, and can outrun hybrid rivals without the aid of a prepped surface.Sweden has given the world both Ikea and Abba, and as a result the country has an image of being full of useful bookcases and danceable pop tunes. Roll the clock back several centuries, and what Sweden mostly gave the world was bloodthirsty Vikings, in large quantities and regardless of whether or not the world wanted them. Turns out those Vikings never left, they're just now available in car form.This is the Koeniggsegg Jesko Absolut, and just like the Swedish vodka of a similar name, it's a high-potency affair. Powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V-8 capable of as much as 1600 horsepower on biofuel, it thundered down the Ängelholm airfield earlier this spring, clipping the quarter-mile mark in a reported 8.54 seconds.AdvertisementAdvertisementThat's really fast by any standard, but it's the Jesko's trap speed that really takes a battle ax to the brain. At the quarter-mile mark, the car was moving at a staggering 190 mph. That's 40 mph faster than a Ferrari LaFerrari can manage, and 30 mph faster than a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport.Further, the Jesko Absolut is pulling off these feats without the assistance of all-wheel-drive, and on a normal airstrip surface. The current Corvette ZR1X is a bona-fide supercar slayer—and now the quickest car we've ever tested—but it's slower in both elapsed time and quarter-mile speed, even when Chevy engineers ran it on a prepped drag-strip surface.But there's a reason Koeniggsegg doesn't make a big deal of the 0–60-mph time, because it's slower than the ZR1X's. Plus, we always take automakers claims with a grain of salt, and it's been more than 25 years since the company let us test one of its cars, when it fried its clutch after four acceleration runs.Koenigsegg test driver Markus Lundh didn't lift off the throttle at the quarter-mile mark either. Driving one-handed while filming the whole thing on his phone, he kept the car going through the half-mile, which it completed in 12.76 seconds at 232 mph. The Porsche 911 Carrera T, a pretty swift machine in its own right, does a quarter-mile in about 12.7 seconds. Imagine being half-a-mile behind.AdvertisementAdvertisementNaturally, all this speed comes with cost and exclusivity, as Koenigsegg is only building 125 Jesko Absoluts at roughly $3 million apiece before options. But talk about bragging rights, laying down these kinds of mind-blowing figures while still just relying on the shove of V-8 thunder.Eventually, Koenigsegg is also going to put electrification into the mix for its record-setting hypercars. The country is, after all, also the home of Thor.For now, the Jesko Absolut proves that Swede speed is all about aiming the nose at the horizon, flooring the throttle, and driving like you're bound for Valhalla.➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.Shop New Cars Shop Used CarsYou Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029
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