World’s Fastest Car Makes Pit Stop in Dallas
Two incredibly fast cars and the hybrid of all hybrids recently made a stop in Dallas on their world tours.
So exclusive, so popular, so rare are these vehicles, that they are only being shown in a few locations throughout the globe – with recent stops including a car collector’s home in Northwest Dallas and the Dallas Arboretum.
While in town, we got a chance to experience the Koenigsegg Agera RS, Jesko, and catch the reveal of a groundbreaking new take on the grand tourer by McLaren.
Per officials, the $2.8 million Koenigsegg Jesko has a 5.0 litre twin-turbo V8 engine that gets 1280 horsepower on standard gasoline and an expected top speed at 300 mph.
The Jesko travels from zero to 60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds, making it one of the fastest cars in the world.
“There is a level of simplicity and humility to the design of these cars,” said Joachim Nordwall, Design Director of Koenigsegg. “That’s something that reflects the character of both Koenigsegg as a company and of our founder, Christian von Koenigsegg. Those same design ethos are also present in Jesko. It’s humble and assertive, but not angry.”
Only 125 Jeskos will be produced and have already sold out.
A predecessor to the Jesko, the $2.6 million Koenigsegg Agera RS broke the world record for land speed last year at 277.9 mph. The Agera RS moves from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds.
After leaving Texas, the cars will travel to California and Canada before leaving North America.
At the Dallas Arboretum, McLaren Automotive and McLaren Dallas for the North American highlighted their newest vehicle; a hybrid that combined competition level performance with continent-crossing capability, all wrapped in a beautiful lightweight body – a new level of comfort and space paired with an agility never before seen in this segment.
The new McLaren GT (from $210,000) delivers classic Grand Tourer attributes of competition levels of performance and continent-crossing capability, yet is lighter, faster, more engaging and more usable.
Positioned alongside the established Sports, Super and Ultimate Series families, this is a new McLaren for a new audience and provides an alternative to existing products in an expanding market segment. In re-imagining, the spirit of traditional Grand Touring – long distance driving in comfort, at higher speeds and with room for luggage – McLaren has also redefined the modern GT ownership experience with a car that is lighter, faster and more engaging than existing products in the segment, with greater space, comfort, and usability.
At over 15 feet, the new McLaren is longer than any of the cars in the McLaren Sports or Super Series – total stowage capacity of 20.1 cubic feet with rear luggage bay accessed via front-hinged, full-length glazed rear tailgate, available electrically powered; room for bags as well as golf clubs or skis.
“The new McLaren GT combines competition levels of performance with continent-crossing capability, wrapped in a beautiful body and true to McLaren’s ethos of designing superlight cars with a clear weight advantage over rivals,” said Mike Flewitt, chief executive officer, McLaren Automotive. “Designed for distance, it provides the comfort and space expected of a Grand Tourer, but with a level of agility never experienced before in this segment. In short, this is a car that redefines the notion of a Grand Tourer in a way that only a McLaren could.”
Creating a new type of McLaren – and the first true Grand Tourer from the brand – saw the McLaren design team embracing the visual history of Grand Touring cars while remaining true to the philosophies that underpin all McLaren design.
The long, elegant exterior lines that are widely recognized as Grand Tourer design cues are executed in the new McLaren GT according to the aerodynamic principles that define every McLaren. The muscular rear fenders – another design trait commonplace in Grand Touring history – are an example of the form of every McLaren being true to its function, incorporating here the air intakes for the high-temperature radiators that cool the engine.
The performance statistics* speak for themselves: with a launch control function optimizing acceleration from a standing start, 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds, 0-124mph is dispatched in 9.0 seconds. The maximum speed of the McLaren GT is 203 mph.
Another defining element of the new McLaren GT – and arguably what will cement its position as the new segment leader – is its dynamic prowess. The suspension, steering, and brakes are all bespoke to the car and optimized to provide an outstanding Grand Touring driving experience, with inherent balance, responsiveness, and precision, yet better ride comfort, than any other McLaren.
The infotainment system developed for the new McLaren GT is the company’s most sophisticated to date. Among the fastest-operating in any car, it also features industry-standard HERE® navigation mapping and real-time traffic information. The driver interface operates in a similar way to a smartphone and the seven-inch central touchscreen is used to select from vehicle functions such as satellite navigation, Bluetooth telephony, media streaming, and voice activation.
There will be 18 new Hybrid cars built between 2018 and 2025, and by the middle of the next decade, McLaren has promised to go hybrid across its entire range of cars.
