Koenigsegg The 1,600-horsepower Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut recently got an over-the-air update that unlocks a record-breaking amount of speed. This accomplishment comes two years after the Absolut broke the 0-250-0-mph record with a time of 28.27 seconds. The hypercar — or, as Koenigsegg likes to call it, megacar — can now cover the quarter-mile in a nutty 8.54 seconds at 190 mph. The half-mile, meanwhile, is accomplished in 12.76 seconds at 232. Those top speeds are both quarter- and half-mile records for non-EV production cars. For reference, it went from zero to 60 mph in 2.26 seconds, and 200 mph was achieved in 9.38 seconds. What makes all this more remarkable is the fact that the Jesko is rear-wheel-drive and the Jesko did this record-setting run on an unprepped surface at the company's test track in Ängelholm, Sweden. Plus, unlike also-ultra-fast hypercars like the Rimac, the Jesko features no electrification. Koenigsegg didn't dive too deep into the details, but traction control tuning, shifting enhancements, and launch control tweaks were given credit for the record-setting run. The "new software advancements" will be coming to all Jesko Absoluts over the air. An arguably hilarious part of this record-setting run is that Koenigsegg factory test driver Markus Lundh did the whole thing with his phone in one hand, steering wheel in the other, making 232 mph somehow seem effortless. Watch the run here: Absolut performance Koenigsegg In case you're not up to date with Swedish hypercar development, the Jesko is one of the main products Koenigsegg's been building in the last few years, and the Absolut is its straight-line-speed-focused variant. Instead of a rear wing like you get with the Jesko Attack, the Absolut gets two shark fins for less drag. The front splitter winglets are more streamlined, the front louvers are different, it's longer in the back, and the wheels get aerodynamic covers, all in the name of max slipperiness and max top speed. Sitting behind the driver is a twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V8 making 1,600 hp on E85 fuel (it makes 1,280 hp on regular gasoline). This engine revs to 8,500 rpm and is said to boast the world's lightest V8 crankshaft at 27.5 pounds. Power is routed through the company's in-house "light speed" nine-speed transmission, and the whole car has a curb weight of 3,064 pounds. It doesn't sound like Koenigsegg is done, because Christian von Koenigsegg ends the video pointing to the 2,300-hp, 249-mph Gemera grand tourer, which is heavier and more comfort-oriented than the Jesko, but does indeed feature an all-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain. "We still see room for improvement," said von Koenigsegg. "This is just the beginning... Watch this space."
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