Welcome to the world’s slowest car factory, birthplace of the world’s fastest car
There exists a simple formula for calculating the theoretical amount of power you require to hit a certain top speed for a car with a given drag coefficient and frontal area. It’s fascinating stuff, honestly, but I shan’t put us through it here. Ten quid says John Hennessey has it tattooed on the back of his eyelids, though. Because when it comes to his ongoing, road-legal 300mph project – the Venom F5 – you get the sense he’s designed something that looks cool and slippery, then cranked up the turbo boost until his calculator says the top speed is sufficiently large. After spending a day with Christian von Koenigsegg (CvK), touring his factory in Ängelholm, Sweden and exploring the all-new Jesko hypercar (literally hours before it was packed off to the Geneva motor show), I can confirm that he has a very different approach.
“There is a version of this car which we call the Jesko 300, where we have a slightly different aero package. That car, according to our simulations, is capable of going faster than 300mph. In fact, we set everything up for at least 310mph, so there’s a little bit of buffer for error as well.” He drops this, nonchalantly, into our conversation as if it’s just another entry for the growing list of mind-bending stats that swirl around his latest project. Probably because, in his mind, it is. The Jesko is simply the culmination of everything he’s learned after 25 years in the hypercar business, a money-no-object showcase of bespoke engineering, material science and speed. The fact that a computer says it’ll crack 300mph appears to be a pleasant surprise, a nice-to-have, but all that really matters is that this is the car – “a celebration of the traditional hypercar with no electrification, a true successor to the Agera RS; visceral, direct and as lightweight as possible” – he’s always wanted to make.
This story is from the May 2019 edition of BBC TopGear India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 2019 edition of BBC TopGear India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Porsche Ice Experience
It's a game best played on ice with the Porsche 911 Dakar
Mercedes-Benz EQS 580
WHY IT'S HERE To prove that Mercedes-Benz is the luxe king, irrespective of what's plonked under the hood or below the cabin.
F.A.T. CAMP
Take one Goodwood Festival of Speed, shrink it down, add skis and thermal underwear... you've got a recipe for an unforgettable day
ALL Stree DOWNHILL FROM HERE
The Challenger is dead, for now. Will the muscle car survive? We couldn't leave California without a 1,300bhp grudge match
A HIGHER POWER
They're the gnarliest, toughest Porsche 911s of modern times - and they're called Doris and Edith. Altitude does funny things to your brain...
VILLAGE OF THE DAMO
What do you get when you cross an R5 Turbo with a Suzuki Jimny? This is the company that decided to find out
CINQ OR SWIM?
The reborn Renault 5 concept promised much - does the full production version live up to the hype? Say bonjour to the EV supermini with proper Gallic flair
THE TEAM BUILDING EXERCISE FT. CITROEN C3 AIRCROSS
The Peppy 7-seater that Helped Me Break the Ice and Make New Friends
FUEL THRIFT
Experiments On The Atal Setu
BEYOND THE "BADGE
A Symphony of Engineering