Hop Onboard As This Koenigsegg Jesko Sets A Record With Legs

The Koenigsegg Jesko is one of the most extreme road-going track cars out there right now. Besides the amazing aerodynamics, there is also a trick seven-speed gearbox and up to 1,600 horses on tap from the twin-turbo V8. So it’s no surprise to see Jesko take the lap record in a local race in Sweden.

Koenigsegg posted an inside video of Jesko taking on the Gotland Ring, a racetrack located on the island of Gotland in Sweden – an eight-hour drive and ferry ride east of Koenigsegg’s headquarters. With factory test driver Niklas Lilja behind the wheel, the car managed to set a time of 2:56.97. That’s nearly eight seconds faster than the next fastest time of 3:04.83, set by the Porsche 911 GT3 RS MR.

The video gives us three different views from the castle, including one directly from Lilja’s helmet. Jesko’s massive power means it pulls some heavy numbers straight away; it hits 288 kph (179 mph) on the back straight.

According to the Swedish supercar brand, the Jesko in the video is an “Attack” spec, meaning it has aerodynamic components designed to grip corners, instead of the “Absolut” specification, which prioritizes stability and eliminates drag at high speeds. Koenigsegg also says the car was running on 93-octane gas instead of E85, meaning it had more power from its final capacity.

More remarkably, Lilja says he pushed the Jesko to “about 90 percent of its capacity,” as the car was only there for testing and marketing reasons, rather than record runs. In other words, Koenigsegg just happened to set the record during normal play, and it could go even faster if the team really tried. Such an attempt may not happen given Jesko’s track record, but we’d certainly like to see it happen.