Dubbed the “world’s first 300 mph megacar,” the Koenigsegg Jesko—weighing in at a sleek 189kg—made a stop in Vancouver May 31 as part of its global tour, with a VIP unveiling inside an aircraft hangar at Vancouver International Airport. The event—which also featured an up close look at the Agera RS—was hosted by Canada’s only Koenigsegg Automotive authorized dealer, Weissach Vancouver.
“At Koenigsegg we strive to produce cars that are at the limit of what mankind can achieve in terms of significant performance,” said Tariq Ali, director of sales for Koenigsegg Americas and the UK. “The Jesko is the start of a new era.”
The car—which boasts a 5-litre twin-turbo V-8 engine and a 7-clutch, 9-speed automatic transmission—is named for company founder and CEO Christian von Koenigsegg’s father Jesko, who began funding his son’s extravagant dream to create ultra-high performance vehicles 25 years ago. The journey from dream to reality was not instant, and involved the elder von Koenigsegg plundering the profits from his successful entrepreneurial career to support his son.
Eventually, he had invested too much to allow the company to fail, and went all-in—even sleeping on a camp bed in his son’s small apartment—with his fortune and his business expertise. As the culmination so far of the Koenigsegg imagination, the Jesko is surely a fitting tribute from son to father.
With a limited edition run of 125 cars, the Jesko will go into production next year. Pre-orders are filling up fast and come with a starting price of just under US$3 million.
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