RSS_Auto_Poster
Well-known member
Written by Jack Rix
Just when you thought the Hennessey Venom F5 or Bugatti Chiron was on course to top 300mph first, Koenigsegg once again reminds us that nobody does speed like the Swedes. OK, they haven"t cracked it yet, but according to the boss, Christian von Koenigsegg, his all-new Jesko hypercar is capable of over 300mph in simulations (the current production record-holder, the Agera RS, hit an average of 277mph in 2017), albeit in a lower downforce set-up than you see here. They would still need to find somewhere to do it, someone mad enough to drive it and a tyre manufacturer to back an attempt but the science says it"s possible. Before the details, the name. Jesko is Christian"s father, the man who helped him set up a supercar company when he was a skint 22-year old with a dream, and has supported him every step of the way. Now 80 years old, this is Christian"s way of thanking him. It certainly beats chocolates and a card. Better still, the name was kept a secret from Jesko until the car"s unveil at the Geneva show. Christian even had his PR team work up a fake press release to placate his dad, who was desperate to know all the details. Sounds like our kind of guy. Let"s start with the engine, a heavily modified version of the Agera"s 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8, now with a flat-plane crank shaft that"s 5kg lighter than the old 90 degree one, which allows it to rev to 8,500rpm and "changes the exhaust note quite a bit," says Christian, modestly. Active rubber engine mounts from the Regera (the Agera RS engine was solid mounted) mean the extra vibrations from the flat crank are absorbed, while the two equally large turbos are supplemented by a 20-litre carbon tank (topped up by a small electric compressor) that fires jets of air into the turbos at 20 bar, to help them spool up and reduce lag.
Date written: 5 Mar 2019
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 15083
Just when you thought the Hennessey Venom F5 or Bugatti Chiron was on course to top 300mph first, Koenigsegg once again reminds us that nobody does speed like the Swedes. OK, they haven"t cracked it yet, but according to the boss, Christian von Koenigsegg, his all-new Jesko hypercar is capable of over 300mph in simulations (the current production record-holder, the Agera RS, hit an average of 277mph in 2017), albeit in a lower downforce set-up than you see here. They would still need to find somewhere to do it, someone mad enough to drive it and a tyre manufacturer to back an attempt but the science says it"s possible. Before the details, the name. Jesko is Christian"s father, the man who helped him set up a supercar company when he was a skint 22-year old with a dream, and has supported him every step of the way. Now 80 years old, this is Christian"s way of thanking him. It certainly beats chocolates and a card. Better still, the name was kept a secret from Jesko until the car"s unveil at the Geneva show. Christian even had his PR team work up a fake press release to placate his dad, who was desperate to know all the details. Sounds like our kind of guy. Let"s start with the engine, a heavily modified version of the Agera"s 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8, now with a flat-plane crank shaft that"s 5kg lighter than the old 90 degree one, which allows it to rev to 8,500rpm and "changes the exhaust note quite a bit," says Christian, modestly. Active rubber engine mounts from the Regera (the Agera RS engine was solid mounted) mean the extra vibrations from the flat crank are absorbed, while the two equally large turbos are supplemented by a 20-litre carbon tank (topped up by a small electric compressor) that fires jets of air into the turbos at 20 bar, to help them spool up and reduce lag.
Date written: 5 Mar 2019
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 15083
