• The screaming 5.1-liter twin-turbocharged V8 sounds ferocious and is mated to a multi-clutch, nine-speed transmission.
  • Koenigsegg’s new Jesko Attack briefly held the lap record around Laguna Seca.
  • Watching a carbon fiber-bodied Jesko drift around the old Top Gear Test Track is a treat for the sensors.

At the Geneva Motor Show in 2019, Koenigsegg unveiled its successor to the fabled Agera. Known as the Jesko, this new model shares some visual similarities to its predecessors but packs an even greater punch. As Top Gear recently discovered, that punch is almighty.

It’s not very often that car journos are allowed to have free reign over one of the world’s most expensive and exclusive hypercars. After all, brands like Koenigsegg generally sell out their new models the instant they’re announced and don’t need a publication to give a car a ‘buy’ recommendation. That’s why we’re lucky Top Gear had the chance to drive the Jesko, as outside of the lucky 125 who have bought one, few will ever jump behind the wheel.

Read: All-Carbon Koenigsegg Jesko Burnt To A Crisp In Greece

The performance seems absolutely ferocious. Powering the Jesko is a 5.1-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that pumps out 1,280 hp, or 1,600 hp when fueled with E85. Mated to this engine is the firm’s in-house nine-speed ‘Lightspeed’ transmission that bangs through gears incredibly quickly.

But don’t get it twisted. The Jesko, particularly in Attack guise, is not just about remarkable straight-line performance. TG’s tester praises the way it handles, saying it’s “predictable” and has a very pointy and precise front end. While speeding around Dunsfold Aerodrome, he says he struggles to keep up with what it’s capable of. It scrambles the brain and can do things that many race cars cannot come close to matching.

All one needs to do is look at the Jesko Attack’s short-lived Laguna Seca record to understand how quick it is. Last month, the car lapped the circuit in 1:24.86. That positioned it ahead (albeit briefly…) of the Czinger 21C at 1:25.44, the McLaren 765LT at 1:27.50, and a McLaren Senna at 1:27.62.