Koenigsegg Ready To Teach Bugatti A Top Speed Lesson

Sep. 07, 2019 1:35 PM ET by Ian Wright / 26 Comments

According to Koenigsegg, the Jesko should be "faster than 300 mph."

Jaws dropped around the world last week when a warmed up Bugatti Chiron went 304.7 mph. Granted, it was a one-off pre-production model and the speed was clocked going in one direction rather than the two needed to set an official record. But, downplaying the achievement is for the cynical. A Bugatti Chiron went 304 mph and the carmaker insists it could have picked up another 15.5mph if the run had taken place in somewhere less safe, like an area of Nevada.

On top of that, the floodgates are now open for more 300-mph cars to come through, and the Koenigsegg Jesko is one of them. Top Gear spoke to a representative from the Swedish manufacturer who took the opportunity to congratulate Bugatti and remind them who's boss.

Koenigsegg

"We want to congratulate them," the spokesperson said, "It's a great achievement. If the homologated production version of the same car can drive faster than 284.55mph – or 277.9mph as average speed in two directions – then it will take the crown from the Agera RS as the fastest production car until now."

Yes, lest we forget, the Agera is still officially the fastest production car on the planet. However, Koenigsegg is not sitting on its laurels and knows Bugatti is likely going to beat it. "We have said before and say now, a high-speed version of the Jesko should be capable of driving faster than 300 mph."

Koenigsegg

The car Koenigsegg is talking about isn't your standard run-of-the-mill Jesko though, it's a variant known as the Jesko 300 that company founder Christian von Koenigsegg mentioned at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. That was where the Jesko debuted, and it seems the Koenigsegg head man already knew the stock 1,600 horsepower wasn't going to be enough to break the 300 mph barrier alone. What it'll probably take is focus on aerodynamics and tires that won't break up to get it across the line.

Let's also take a moment to enjoy the fact we're talking about road cars and the 300 mph barrier here. It was only 1987 when the Ferrari F40 became the first production road car to go over 200 mph.

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Koenigsegg Ready To Teach Bugatti A Top Speed Lesson

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