Details Of Koenigsegg Revolutionary New $3 Million 1600 HP E85 Optimized 'Jesko' Supercar Just Revealed At Geneva's Auto Show

Koenigsegg Jesko

Koenigsegg has unveiled an all-new megacar – the Koenigsegg Jesko – at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show. Jesko inherits the mantle left by the Agera RS as the leading track-focused, road-legal car for those looking for the ultimate in vehicle performance.

• Re-designed 5.0 litre twin-turbo V8 engine producing 1280hp on standard gasoline and 1600hp on E85 biofuel
• Revolutionary new 9-speed Koenigsegg Light Speed Transmission (LST)
• Advanced aerodynamics offering over 1000kg of downforce
• Active rear-wheel steering
• Re-designed carbon fibre chassis with more legroom, headroom and greater visibility

Jesko is named for Jesko von Koenigsegg, the father of company Founder and CEO, Christian von Koenigsegg.

Jesko von Koenigsegg was a key presence at Koenigsegg Automotive during its formative years. His considerable business acumen helped steer the company through many early challenges. Now retired and in his 80’s, Jesko von Koenigsegg and his wife, Brita, were on-hand at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show to see his namesake vehicle introduced to the world.

A New Heart

Koenigsegg’s first effort at engine development was so successful it saw the company awarded a Guinness World Record. The Koenigsegg CC8S replaced the McLaren F1 as the car with the most powerful production engine in the world.

The next Koenigsegg engine achieved a similar feat when the CCR took the world production car top speed record, again from the McLaren F1. In 2014, we announced the Koenigsegg One:1 with a twin-turbo V8 producing 1,360 hp, enough to make the One:1 the first production car in history with a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. With 1 megawatt of power, the One:1 was the world’s first Megacar.

That record-breaking tradition continues……

Jesko – the all-new megacar from Koenigsegg – is powered by a newly designed, 1280hp (1600hp on E85), twin-turbocharged V8 engine that benefits from significant changes to the Agera engine it replaces.

At the core of the newly designed engine is the world’s lightest V8 crankshaft. Weighing just 12.5 kilos, Koenigsegg’s new flat-plane 180-degree crankshaft allows Jesko to produce more power, with greater efficiency, while achieving a higher 8500rpm rev limit.

The crankshaft is milled by small manufacturing house located in southern Sweden. It is made to Koenigsegg’s in-house design from a single solid steel billet.

The flat-plane design allows even firing across engine banks and an even more visceral engine sound. Koenigsegg has countered the tendency that flat-plane engines have towards greater vibration by designing new super-light connecting rods and pistons.

The connecting rods were designed by Koenigsegg’s engine architect, Dr. Thomas Johansson. The connecting rods are made from premium Swedish steel. At just 540g – including bolts – they’re as light as previous generations made from titanium, but even stronger.

The piston’s curved face shapes the combustion chamber in such a way so as to reduce peak pressure while maintaining high average pressure. The ceramic coating on the face of the piston prevents hot spots and detonation when the engine runs at maximum power. The piston weighs just 290 grams. Minimal weight is important because Koenigsegg engines have a very long stroke and at 8500rpm, efficiency of movement becomes critical.

Light Speed Transmission (LST)

The Koenigsegg Jesko features an all-new 9-speed, multi-clutch transmission – the second transmission to be 100% designed and built in-house at Koenigsegg, following the Direct Drive system designed for the Regera.

The Koenigsegg Light Speed Transmission (LST) represents a scale of evolution not seen since the development of modern dual-clutch technology at the turn of the century.

LST comprises nine forward gears and several wet, multidisc clutches in a compact, ultra-light package. The LST is capable of upward and downward gear changes between gears at near light speed thanks to the simultaneous opening and closing of clutches that allows for totally seamless acceleration/deceleration.

That LST gear changes can occur in virtually zero time between adjacent gears is impressive.

What takes LST from impressive to evolutionary, however, is that these shift-time benefits apply when changing between ANY forward gears.

UPOD – ULTIMATE POWER ON DEMAND

The key to this functionality is found in both the transmission’s unique design and Koenigsegg’s intelligent ‘UPOD’ technology – Ultimate Power On Demand. UPOD is the brain that instantly selects and engages optimum gearing for maximum acceleration.

While modern dual-clutch transmissions (DCT) enjoy millisecond shift times, they can only pre-select for a fast shift in one direction. DCT’s are designed to predict and pre-select the next gear based on inputs from the driver. If that prediction is wrong – e.g the driver wants to shift from 5th gear to 4th, instead of the presumed and pre-selected 6th gear – the driver will experience G-force losses and a slow shift response.

In addition, DCT’s only work in single-gear intervals. From 7th gear to 6th, to 5th, to 4th, for example. If the driver is in 7th gear and wants 4th for maximum power, the DCT cannot pre-select 4th gear directly. The driver has to pass through 6th and 5th gears, wasting time and power.

The Koenigsegg LST overcomes this via its unique multi-clutch design and UPOD technology, which selects the optimum gear for maximum power with a light speed gear change, regardless of whether that gear is 1, 2 or even 5 gears away.

UPOD uses vehicle speed and engine speed to determine the correct gear for maximum power and directs the LST to engage that gear, no matter its relationship to the current gear. If you are in 7th gear and 4th is the optimal gear for maximum acceleration, UPOD can bypass downshifts to 6th and 5th gear and put the car directly from 7th to 4th – in light speed.

The effect is instant, prolific power that’s always optimised and always available, allowing maximum acceleration for overtaking, corner exits, etc.

Koenigsegg has a long history of developing innovative, in-house solutions aimed at optimising vehicle performance. Near-enough is never good-enough. This no-compromise philosophy inspired the development of Aircore carbon fibre wheels, Koenigsegg Direct Drive, Triplex suspension geometry, the RocketCat catalytic converter, Autoskin technology, and much more. LST is the latest in a long line of Koenigsegg innovations.