From Showroom to Ashes: The Fiery Fate of a $4 Million Supercar

Every so often we hear or read about supercar fires. There are various causes, such as fuel leakage or overheating, but in most cases, a fire spontaneously ignites in the engine room of a supercar that was running normally. Recently, this incident occurred in a limited edition model of Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg, attracting attention.

It is known that this vehicle was a new car that had just been released and there was no reckless driving during the driving process. This indicated that there’s a high possibility of a vehicle defect. Accordingly, Koenigsegg advised owners of the same model released so far not to drive their vehicles for a while.

Car Caught Fire Five Minutes Into Driving

According to reports from Autoblog, on June 15 (local time), a Koenigsegg Jesko burned down on a road in Athens, Greece. At the time, the vehicle was known to have participated in the 6 to 6 Motor Europe Tour, a long-distance supercar tour event that started from Athens and ran to Monaco.

Passengers evacuated as soon as flames began to appear in the vehicle, and fortunately, there were no casualties as the fire did not spread to the surrounding area. According to eyewitness testimony, the Koenigsegg Jesko was driving at a low speed before the fire broke out. The fire broke out only five minutes after departing from a luxury hotel in central Athens, and the cumulative driving range of the vehicle at the time was only 124 miles.

Koenigsegg Investigates The Cause, Issues Do-Not-Drive-Order

After learning of the fire, Koenigsegg retrieved the vehicle and dispatched engineers from its Swedish headquarters to Greece to determine the cause. It is reported that Greek police are investigating the cause of the fire. Although the temperature on the day of the fire was hot enough to reach 95 Fahrenheit, it is difficult to determine whether the heat wave had a direct effect on the fire. Koenigsegg sent an email to the owners advising them not to operate their vehicles until the cause of the fire was identified.

Meanwhile, Jesko is a limited edition model with only 125 units produced, and it is known that 28 vehicles have been delivered to customers so far. The starting price alone is $3 million. The vehicle destroyed in the fire is known to have had many expensive options applied, including a carbon fiber exterior worth $443,400. It is rumored that the final price reached $4 million.

Top-Level Specifications For A Supercar

Jesko is equipped with a 5.0L V8 twin-turbo engine and a Koenigsegg LST (Light Speed ​​Transmission) 9-speed multi-clutch transmission. The maximum output of 1,298 horsepower and the maximum torque of 102 kg.m based on gasoline fuel are transmitted entirely to the rear wheels. It takes 2.6 seconds to reach 62 mph from a standstill and can run at 300 mph based on its simulation. When E85 ethanol fuel is used, maximum output and maximum torque increase to 1,622 horsepower and 153 kg.m, respectively.

As it has unrealistic specifications, Koenigsegg uses the name Hypercar for its vehicles in the sense that it is a car model that is one level higher than a supercar.