Koenigsegg has finally revealed the replacement of
the Agera RS and its name is Jesko, as a tribute to Christian Koenigsegg’s
father. The new Swedish hypercar is capable of reaching 482 km/h,
according to Koenigsegg’s own simulations, thanks to a heavily modified
twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8 that can produce up to 1,578 hp on E85.
Christian even kept the new hypercar’s name a secret
from his father until the last moment, when they revealed the new Jesko at the
Geneva Motor Show. Jesko von Koenigsegg is a key presence within the company,
helping Christian establish Koenigsegg as one of the leaders in the supercar
world.
The revised V8 engine now features a flat-plane
180-degree crankshaft that’s 5 kg lighter and allows it to rev up to 8,500 rpm
and produce more power and an “even more visceral sound”. The two turbochargers
are connected directly to a small electric compressor, which drives air to them
from a 20-liter air tank (made out of carbon fiber of course). Koenigsegg
claims that thanks to this feature, turbo lag is eliminated, providing instant
response and massive boost before the exhaust gasses take over in spinning
those turbos.
When running on 95-octane unleaded, Jesko’s beast of
an engine produces 1,262 hp but give it some E85 and it will make
1,578 hp and 1,500 Nm of peak torque, with over 737 lb-ft
available anywhere between 2,700 rpm and 6,170 rpm.
Then, there’s the transmission; Koenigsegg calls it
the Light Speed Transmission, a nine-speed multiclutch unit designed in-house
that doesn’t feature traditional synch rings at all. This allows it to change
between any gear at “near light speed”.
Unlike the more traditional DCTs in the market,
Koenigsegg’s LST unit allows direct changes between gears, regardless of that
gear’s relationship to the current one. For example, it can shift from 7th to
4th directly -and at lighting speed apparently- without waiting for
synchronisation. The whole transmission weighs just 90 kg, complete with wet
clutches, flywheel, fluids, starter motor and oil pumps, making it far lighter
than any DCT gearbox out there.
The Koenigsegg Jesko’s carbon tub is 40 mm longer and
22 mm higher than that in the Agera RS in order to give it more space inside the
cabin. The chassis is fitted with a Triplex damper at the front, preventing the
car from squatting under acceleration at the rear and keeping it level at all
times, in addition to the traditional Ohlins dampers, as well as a rear-wheel
steering system for the first time.
The carbon-fiber wheels are Koenigsegg’s lightest
yet, with the front 20-inch items weighing 5.9 kg each and the rear 21-inch ones
at 7.7 kg. Koenigsegg claims that thanks to the huge front splitter and the even
more enormous boomerang-like rear wing, the Jesko can produce around 800 kg of
downforce at 250 km/h, 1,000 kg at 275 km/h and 1,400 kg at its top speed. There will
be a lower-downforce version in the future, which is the one with the 480 km/h potential.
The bodywork is also fitted with Koenigsegg’s Autoskin
system, a range of mini hydraulic actuators that can operate everything from
the aero-kit elements to the dihedral doors and hoods, enabling a touchless
entry. The system is operated through the car’s remote control. In addition, the interior features a steering wheel
with two small touchscreen displays with haptic feedback and a new compact
5-inch SmartCluster digital instrument binnacle.
Koenigsegg will produce just 125 Jesko hypercars,
with an annual production output of around 40 to 50 examples. Prices are
expected to start from US$ 3 million before taxes.