There are all kinds of supercars if you want something that’s meant to ape a Formula One car for the road. But what about a streamliner record car for the road? This is the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, which figured 1,600 horsepower wasn’t enough to get a sufficiently manic top speed. It needed super aero, too.
I was going to make a case that this is something like a Group C Le Mans car for the road, but that would really need spats. What this has is aero wheels at the back for reduced drag. Indeed, the whole car is about trading the ultimate in cornering grip (who needs it) for straight line speed and stability (now we’re talking.) Here’s how Koenigsegg explains the trade-off in its press release:
The Jesko Absolut presented a rigorous exercise in smoothing out surfaces on the car to remove any form of drag-causing elements while adding rear volumes that streamline the airflow. Over 3000 hours have been invested in fluid dynamics (CFD) and aerodynamics analysis, alongside over 5000 hours of design and engineering for the Jesko Absolut on top of the Jesko. The CFD team meticulously went over every inch and design detail of the car, defining the elements needed to get to the drag coefficient even lower than the target of 0.28 Cd, to just 0.278 Cd.Most obvious when looking at the Jesko Absolut, is the removed massive rear wing.
The wing is removed to reduce downforce and drag – dropping downforce from 1400 kg to 150 kg.In place of a rear wing there are two rear hood fins that are designed to enhance the high-speed stability of the Absolut.Furthermore, the front splitter and side winglets are removed, and the front wheel louvers are replaced with smoother ones. Every surface is analysed and optimised for the air to glide as effortless as possible over, under and through the body.
The Jesko Absolut shape was reassessed with minimal drag in mind. This meant elongating the car, giving it a more tear-dropped shape. The rear extension of the Jesko Absolut makes it 85 mm longer than the track-focused Jesko and the dished rear wheels, really change its appearance.
The extended bodywork is neat, but it’s the cat ears on the back that catch my eye. Koenigsegg says in its presser that these are inspired by the F-15:
The dramatic streamlining of the Jesko Absolut and the lack of a massive spoiler, gives the Jesko Absolut a sleek appearance. The two fins that replace the rear spoiler take inspiration from the F-15 fighter jets that come equipped with similar and iconic double vertical stabilisers.
The two standing twin fins give the Jesko Absolut the ability to clean up airflow over the rear end, which stabilizes the Jesko Absolut at high speeds and surprisingly also reduce total drag.
I, for one, am pleased that Koenigsegg dispensed with the notion that a track day is the ultimate in supercar aspirations. We don’t all need tons of downforce. We don’t need to pretend we’re F1 drivers. We can buy a used Enzo if we want that. But if we want to, say, blow apart the record on the Silver State Classic, then K’segg is here for us.
There’s no official top speed yet, and indeed all these pictures are renders, so we still have to wait until we can see what the car can actually do. Koenigseggs don’t exactly have the best record without spoilers.