Koenigsegg ends Jesko production with 500 km/h record still unachieved
Swedish hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg has ended Jesko production after building 125 examples. The final car is a specially finished Jesko Absolut, which the company has handed over to its new owner. This brings the model programme, which began in 2019, to an end, but one important goal remains unfulfilled: Koenigsegg has yet to prove that the Jesko can exceed 500 km/h. The end of production does not, however, mean abandoning the pursuit of the speed record.
The final Jesko receives a special finish
Koenigsegg founder Christian von Koenigsegg announced on social media on 11 November that the company had completed the 125th Jesko. Workers at the Ängelholm factory gathered beside the production line to send the final car off with applause.
The final example carries the designation Jesko 125 and is based on the Absolut version, developed for maximum top speed.
The car features champagne-coloured Skumpa paint, a green-tinted carbon-fibre stripe and bronze-coloured details. Inside, the designers combine brown and beige leather with rose-gold metal components.
According to several publications, the car's owner is tennis player Daniil Medvedev, but Koenigsegg has not officially confirmed the buyer's name.
1177 kW and exceptionally low drag
The Jesko uses a 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine whose flat-plane crankshaft allows it to rev to 8500 rpm.
The engine develops approximately 941 kW on regular petrol and 1177 kW on E85 fuel. Maximum torque reaches 1500 Nm.
Power reaches the rear wheels through Koenigsegg's nine-speed Light Speed Transmission. The multi-clutch gearbox allows it to select the desired gear without a conventional sequential shift.
The Jesko Absolut differs from the track-focused Attack version primarily in its aerodynamics.
Instead of a large rear wing, the Absolut uses an extended tail and streamlined bodywork. Its drag coefficient is just 0.278, exceptionally low for a hypercar with this much power.
The speed record remains on hold, but other records have been set
Koenigsegg developed the Jesko Absolut with the aim of exceeding 500 km/h. The company's calculations and simulations indicate that the car should be capable of doing so.
However, no real-world record attempt has taken place so far. The main obstacles are finding a sufficiently long and safe test track and proving the tyres' durability at extreme speeds.
The Jesko has, however, set several notable acceleration records.
In 2025, the Jesko Absolut accelerated from 0 to 400 km/h and then braked to a complete stop in 25.21 seconds.
In June 2026, the car covered a 402-metre sprint in 8.54 seconds, reaching a terminal speed of approximately 306 km/h. It covered half a mile, or 805 metres, in 12.76 seconds, with a terminal speed of approximately 373 km/h.
These results confirm the Jesko's exceptional acceleration, but do not yet prove its maximum top speed.
Koenigsegg has not abandoned its 500 km/h goal
The end of Jesko production comes as competition for the outright hypercar speed record has intensified.
The Yangwang U9 Xtreme from China's BYD group has already exceeded 490 km/h, showing that electric hypercars can put serious pressure on rivals with conventional internal combustion engines.
Koenigsegg's strength remains its combination of low weight, exceptional power and aerodynamic efficiency.
Christian von Koenigsegg confirmed on 12 November that the company would continue pursuing the outright top-speed record. The Jesko Absolut may therefore make a record attempt even after the model's series production has ended.
The Jesko's legacy does not depend solely on exceeding 500 km/h. The model's Light Speed Transmission also provided the technological foundation for the CC850's gearshift system, while the Jesko's performance records demonstrated how far a rear-wheel-drive car with an internal combustion engine can be taken.
The production line is now free for the next projects, but the Jesko's technical story is not over yet.
