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Koenigsegg is still planning a top-speed run with the Jesko Absolut, but it’s setting other types of records in the meantime. The track-focused Jesko Attack has now been crowned the fastest production vehicle at the iconic Laguna Seca. On August 18, it completed the challenging 2.2-mile course in 1 minute and 24.86 seconds.
Not only was it the hypercar’s first outing at Laguna Seca, but the driver’s as well. Indeed, Koenigsegg development test driver Markus Lundh hadn’t been to the 66-year-old Californian track before. Despite the uncharted territory for the man and machine, the Jesko Attack bested the Czinger 21C by just 0.58 seconds. On a related note, the latter just scored a production car lap record at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, beating the Hennessey Venom F5 by 0.2 seconds.
Intense onboard footage shows Markus Lundh tackling the difficult Laguna Seca Raceway and its famous Corkscrew. The soundtrack you’re hearing comes from a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V-8 pumping out 1,280 horsepower. When the engine runs on E85, output is boosted to a healthy 1,600 hp. Koenigsegg quotes a mountain-moving torque of 1,106 pound-feet.
This isn’t the first record established by the Jesko Attack. In late 2023, factory test driver Niklas Lilja lapped the Gotland Ring in Sweden in 2 minutes and 56.97 seconds. It shaved off almost eight seconds from the old record held by a Porsche 911 GT3 RS MR.
You can easily tell it’s the Attack version by the massive rear wing whereas the Absolute has a pair of fins instead. The high-speed variant recently set a record as well by doing 0 to 249 mph (400 km/h) and then back to 0 in 27.83 seconds, improving the Rimac Nevera’s performance by 1.33 seconds. However, there’s a new hardcore Nevera R with more power and less weight that might go record-hunting soon.
Of course, the most exciting record of them all is top speed. Koenigsegg has done the math, and it estimates the Jesko Absolut will comfortably smash the 300-mph barrier. A recent chassis dyno test showed a theoretical 311 mph before hitting the rev limiter in ninth gear, suggesting there was room for more.
The uncorked Bugatti Chiron Super Sport did 304.77 mph but in only one direction, so it wasn’t a Guinness record. Even so, we’re certain the likes of Koenigsegg, Hennessey, and SSC want to beat that. Bugatti is done chasing speed records, but the sixteen-cylinder Tourbillon isn’t exactly slow considering it’ll do 276 mph.
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