Over-the-Air Update Lets Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Smash Quarter-Mile Record at 190 MPH

Koenigsegg’s Jesko Absolut just shattered the quarter-mile record for non-EV production cars after a simple over-the-air software update. The twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8 hypercar, making 1,600 horsepower on E85 fuel, now clocks a blistering 8.54 seconds at 190 mph in the quarter-mile—beating its own previous benchmark. The half-mile run is even more absurd: 12.76 seconds at 232 mph, both records for non-electric production machinery.

The Jesko Absolut did this on a bone-dry, unprepared surface at Koenigsegg’s test track in Ängelholm, Sweden, with nothing but rear-wheel drive and no electrification. Zero to 60 mph comes in 2.26 seconds, while 200 mph is reached in just 9.38 seconds. Koenigsegg credits the record to software tweaks—launch control, traction control, and shift calibration—delivered via OTA update to every existing Jesko Absolut.

Factory driver Markus Lundh piloted the car with one hand on the wheel and the other on his phone, making 232 mph look like a Sunday drive. The Jesko Absolut is Koenigsegg’s drag-focused variant of the Jesko family, ditching the Attack’s massive rear wing for a pair of shark fins and ultra-slippery bodywork. It rides on a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8 churning out 1,600 HP on E85 (1,280 HP on pump gas), revving to 8,500 rpm and packing the world’s lightest V8 crankshaft at 27.5 pounds.

Power goes through Koenigsegg’s in-house nine-speed “Light Speed” transmission to a curb weight of 3,064 pounds. Koenigsegg founder Christian von Koenigsegg hinted that this is only the beginning, pointing to the 2,300-HP, 249-mph Gemera grand tourer as the next frontier—though it’s heavier, hybrid AWD, and more GT-focused. “We still see room for improvement,” von Koenigsegg said. “This is just the beginning… Watch this space.”