Latest news with #ChristianVonKoenigsegg
Auto Express
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Watch out Bugatti! Koenigsegg may have just revealed the ultimate hypercar
Koenigsegg has unveiled the Sadair's Spear – a new limited-edition hypercar that features the same underpinnings as the wild Jesko – but with new aerodynamics, less weight and even more power. While the other 'Attack' and 'Absolut' variants of the Jesko hypercar (named after Christian von Koenigsegg's father) are fairly self-explanatory, the Sadair's Spear name comes from Jesko von Koenigsegg's horse, which he rode during his final race as a jockey in 1976. The Sadair's Spear does get some mechanical tweaks over other Jesko variants, but it's been altered cosmetically too. There's a new active top-mounted, 'double-blade' rear wing, an enlarged front splitter with independent underbody flaps, larger diffusers behind the wheels, a new front bonnet air dam and new side winglets. All this (plus the Jesko's existing aerodynamics) creates a total downforce of 850kg. Advertisement - Article continues below The new variant also weighs 35kg less than the standard Jesko, thanks to lighter springs in the self-levelling suspension, less sound deadening and bespoke carbon-fibre seats. The result is a kerbweight of just 1,320kg – less than a Ford Focus. There's a six-point harness inside to give you the full race car environment - although Koenigsegg still fits a radio and even a wireless smartphone charger to keep things civilised in there. Powering the Sadair's Spear is the same twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre V8 with Koenigsegg providing its usual output figures for unleaded and more potent E85 fuel: 1,282bhp for the former and 1,603bhp for the latter, which is 25bhp up on the Jesko. There are no performance figures just yet; while the Absolut has a theoretical top speed of 310mph, it does this without the huge wing of the Sadair's Spear. To ensure Koenigsegg's latest hypercar stops as well as it goes, there are carbon-ceramic brakes front and rear with bespoke brake calipers in six-pot and four-pot forms. Pricing for the Sadair's Spear stands at £3.8m, which might sound like a lot, but there's clearly enough interest because all 30 that will be built have been spoken for already. Want the latest car news in your inbox? Sign up to the free Auto Express email newsletter... Find a car with the experts Best hypercars 2025 Extraordinarily fast and exceedingly rare, these are the best hypercars of all-time Best cars & vans 12 May 2025 BYD and Octopus Energy team up for 'all-inclusive' EV deal BYD and Octopus Energy team up for 'all-inclusive' EV deal Octopus' 'Power Pack Bundle' includes a leased BYD, a wallbox charger and charging all for less than £300 per month New Skoda Epiq baby SUV could be a Tardis on wheels New Skoda Epiq baby SUV could be a Tardis on wheels The new Skoda Epic will sit below the Elroq and Enyaq in the brand's ever-expanding SUV range and is set to offer plenty of space despite its compact … Car Deal of the Day: Fully loaded Vauxhall Mokka can be yours for just £175 per month Car Deal of the Day: Fully loaded Vauxhall Mokka can be yours for just £175 per month Our Deal of the Day for 21 June is this top-of-the-range version of Vauxhall's recently updated, style-focused small SUV
Auto Blog
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Sadair's Spear Is The Record-Breaking Koenigsegg Hypercar Nobody Can Buy
Koenigsegg Pays Tribute To Its Origins Those who know the lore behind how Christian von Koenigsegg got his start in creating extraordinary cars will be aware that the Jesko hypercar is named after his father, paying tribute to the man who helped him find his place in the world. Continuing that naming strategy is the new Sadair's Spear. Allow us to explain. Jesko von Koenigsegg was a gentleman jockey and his favorite racehorse, which was also the one he rode in his last race in 1976, was named Sadair's Spear. With production of the Jesko hypercar being wrapped up this year, it's an apt way to celebrate how far this megacar manufacturer has come. But as is always the case, the name was by far the easiest part of this car's creation. Astonishing Aerodynamic Advances The Sadair's Spear is described as the most track-focused car Koenigsegg has ever made, and it looks it. The rear wing is reminiscent of the one on the Jesko Attack, but it's a new design that delivers even more downforce. This is combined with an elongated rear end for better efficiency and stability, and to balance things at the front, the dive planes are larger. Koenigsegg has also lengthened the strakes in the diffuser and added vents to the wheel arches. This, new air intakes, and a vented hood with a redesigned Gurney flap all work together to increase cooling by 30% (allowing the engine to develop an extra 20 hp on pump gas and an extra 25 hp on E85) and downforce by 20% – all while still reducing drag by 5%. Wider tires help make this safe, with 275-width front tires and 335-width rears, available in Michelin Cup 2 or Cup 2 R flavors, but the wheels are the truly amazing part. An evolution of the company's proprietary Aircore carbon fiber wheels (which only have a tiny sliver of metal in the air valves but are otherwise all-carbon), this exclusive 7-spoke design sucks air out from under the car to help improve downforce and brake cooling, but because of the other aero elements added to the Sadair's Spear, each corner has a unique design, which Christian von Koenigsegg describes as an immense challenge. Finally, the carbon-ceramic brakes have been upgraded with new pad materials and the suspension setup – including the company's unique Triplex dampers – has been retuned for this application. $5.1 Million Buys A Record-Breaker In total, the Sadair's Spear delivers 1,282 hp on regular unleaded and 1,603 hp on E85 fuel, from the same 5.0-liter twin-turbo flat-plane crank V8 found in the Jesko. Also carried over is the nine-speed Light Speed Transmission, but some things have been lost. While climate control, infotainment, and electric seat luxuries exist (with six-point harnesses optional), Koenigsegg has shed 5.7 pounds worth of sound insulation and cut another 2.8 lbs with new carbon fiber techniques. Other undisclosed measures have contributed to a total weight saving of 77 lbs. Acceleration and top speed claims have not yet been made, but it's already a record-breaker. Late in 2023, the Jesko Attack obliterated the Gotland Ring lap record with a time of 2:56.9. Christian calls this the Nürburgring of Sweden, and as one of the longest and most technical, it qualifies. During a shakedown run, the Sadair's Spear reportedly lapped the 4.5-mile track some 1.1 seconds quicker, and Koenigsegg has high hopes for what else it might yet achieve. Just 30 will be made, all of which are already sold out, and according to Top Gear, it costs £3.8 million, or over $5.1 million at current exchange rates. About the Author Sebastian Cenizo View Profile
Top Gear
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
New Koenigsegg Alert! This is the £3.8m, 1,603bhp Sadair's Spear, built to smash records
New Koenigsegg Alert! This is the £3.8m, 1,603bhp Sadair's Spear, built to smash records Wild name, wild performance for a more track-focused take on the Jesko Attack. Because that's what it always needed... Skip 16 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Turn on Javascript to see all the available pictures. 1 / 16 Thought the 1,578bhp, bewinged Jesko Attack was as extreme as road-legal Koenigseggs could get? Christian von Koenigsegg begs to differ, because here is the new Sadair's Spear, a lighter, more powerful, more downforce-y and therefore more track-focused take on Koenigsegg's hypercar, designed to wreak havoc on your concept of fast and rearrange your internal organs. First, that name. You may recall the Jesko was named after Christian's father for his 80th birthday, to say thanks for his help with the company in its early years. Beats a pair of socks. You probably didn't know Jesko was a keen jockey, nor the name of the horse he rode in his final race in 1976. Yep, Sadair's Spear. Advertisement - Page continues below The engine is familiar from the Jesko – a 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8, connected to Koenigsegg's nine-speed Lightspeed transmission, that does without a flywheel so it revs to its 8.500rpm redline like a superbike in 0.2s. Here, revised engine calibration, redesigned air intakes and improved cooling means peak power climbs by 25bhp to 1,603bhp on E85 (1,282bhp on regular unleaded). No word on acceleration or top speed figures (the Jesko has a theoretical top speed north of 300mph), only that during its shakedown it smashed the Gotland Ring lap record by 1.1 seconds. Previous record holder? The Jesko Attack. Improved aero has a big part to play in that. The active top-mounted 'double-blade' rear wing combines with a stretched rear end design for more downforce and stability. That's balanced with larger canards, louvres and hood vents at the front. New seven-spoke turbine blade Aircore carbon-fibre wheels are specific to the Sadair's Spear and wrapped in even wider track-focused tyres. The carbon-ceramic brakes get upgraded pad materials, while the self-levelling suspension features lighter springs – part of a total 35kg weight-saving package that includes losing 2.6kg of sound deadening, unique carbon-fibre seats and other lightweight interior components. Advertisement - Page continues below If you love faffing around before going anywhere you can option six-point harnesses instead of normal seatbelts, but this isn't a fully stripped-out race car - you still get the wheel mounted digital instrument cluster, a stereo, and wireless charging for your phone. 'Sadair's Spear represents a natural progression for Koenigsegg - an impeccable balance of raw power, refined aerodynamics, and extraordinary road presence,' said Christian von Koenigsegg. 'This car is destined to set records. Achieving such track dominance in a fully road-legal vehicle is nothing short of remarkable.' The Sadair's Spear is limited to just 30 cars, and each one cost £3.8m... all of which sold out instantly when Koenigsegg gave its most loyal customers a private viewing. Better luck next time. Top Gear Newsletter Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. Success Your Email*
Motor 1
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
The Sadair's Spear Is Koenigsegg's Most Radical Car Ever
Koenigsegg is adding a third flavor of the Jesko to join the track-focused Attack and the high-speed Absolut. The new Sadair's Spear is essentially a more hardcore version of the former, featuring upgrades that make it even quicker around a circuit while remaining street-legal. But first, let's explain the name. Christian von Koenigsegg's father, Jesko von Koenigsegg, was a passionate jockey. The horse he rode during his final race in 1976 was, yes, you guessed it, Sadair's Spear. Although the new special edition doesn't carry the Jesko moniker, the base car's name remains Christian's tribute to his father in honor of his 80 th birthday. The Sadair's Spear builds on the Jesko Attack with an even more aggressive aero package, highlighted by a double-blade active rear wing. Koenigsegg also extended the hypercar's rear to enhance airflow and redesigned the air intakes for improved cooling. Photo by: Koenigsegg At its heart, the Sadair's Spear features the familiar twin-turbo 5.0-liter V-8, now tuned to produce an extra 20 horsepower for a total of 1,300 hp on standard fuel. Switch to E85, and output climbs by 25 hp over the regular Jesko when it feeds on 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, reaching a staggering 1,625 hp. Koenigsegg worked its magic to shave off 77 pounds (35 kilograms) by removing some of the sound insulation while installing lighter interior and mechanical parts. The result? A dry weight of just 2,910 pounds (1,320 kilograms). The rad seven-spoke turbine wheels exclusive to the meanest Jesko of them all are made from carbon fiber. Adding muscle while trimming fat has allowed the Swedish exotic marque to improve the Jesko Attack's lap time at the Gotland Ring by 1.1 seconds. Want one? Too bad. The Sadair's Spear is already sold out. Koenigsegg showed the car behind closed doors and 'instantly' found buyers for the entire production run of 30 units. This is a developing story… Photo by: Koenigsegg Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear 15 Source: Koenigsegg Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Top Gear
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Holy heck, the Koenigsegg Absolut just did 223.5mph in a standing half-mile
Holy heck, the Koenigsegg Absolut just did 223.5mph in a standing half-mile CvK's has a bit of fun with his supertoy, casually reels off blistering times Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Turn on Javascript to see all the available pictures. The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut has been subjected to a bit of a leg day at the company's dedicated test track (read: former military airstrip) and has casually reeled off a litany of scary numbers. Numbers like 0-62mph in 2.79s. Like 62mph to 124mph in 2.74s. Like 124mph to 186mph in 3.96s. A standing quarter mile in 8.88s, and the small matter of a standing half-mile in 13.27s at a heady 223.5mph. Advertisement - Page continues below Two hundred and twenty-three miles per hour (359.83kmh) in 13.27s to cover off half a mile. That's… yeah, scary. But then the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is a scary car. Underneath lurks a very dark heart: a 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 capable of revving out to 8,500rpm, sending 1,600bhp and 1,106lb ft to the rear wheels and rear wheels alone via a nine-speed gearbox. It's also the fastest ever Koenigsegg – a car Christian imagines will comfortably hit that magic 300mph+ mark. 'The name Absolut comes from the fact that this is the absolute fastest Koenigsegg we will ever make,' CvK said on the car's launch. Speaking of, click below to see it launch off the line – with minimal fuss – to very casually reel off a litany of scary numbers. Advertisement - Page continues below Top Gear Newsletter Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. Success Your Email*
