Technic

Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Grey Hypercar

A pocket-money hypercar with one genuinely clever party trick.

Brick Rated Score

4.0/5

Set 42173 · 2024

Pieces801

Minifigsn/a

Year2024

Set number42173

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The verdict

The doors are the whole reason to buy this one.

Open them and they swing up and out at the same time, that real dihedral synchro-helix motion, and it never stopped delighting me across a full afternoon of fidgeting. The grey is drab and the orange lines do almost nothing to save it, so nobody's buying this as a shelf showpiece. But at 801 pieces for beginner money, it's one of the friendliest ways into Technic I've handed anyone.

Best for: Someone easing into Technic who wants working mechanisms without a huge commitment

The full review

What it is

I went in expecting a fairly plain little Technic car and came away won over by one specific thing. The doors. Koenigsegg's real Jesko uses a dihedral synchro-helix system, where the door rotates ninety degrees while also pushing outward, and LEGO actually made that work in a set you can buy for beginner money. You lift a door and it swings up and out at once, and I sat there opening and closing them far longer than I'd admit. That single feature carries a huge amount of the charm here. Underneath it, this is a proper Technic build: working steering, a fake V8 with pistons that pump, a differential, and a bonnet and boot that both open so you can watch everything move. There's a detachable steering knob that tucks neatly into the nose of the car, which is a nice thoughtful touch.

The catch

The caveats are real though, and worth being straight about. The colour is the big one. This is dark stone grey through and through, and it reads as flat and a little lifeless on a shelf. The orange accent lines are supposed to lift it, and they just don't do much. If a grey car doesn't appeal, LEGO also released an identical white version (42184) that swaps the orange for a mossy green, so you do have a choice. The build itself is quick, under a couple of hours, which is lovely for a relaxed session but means seasoned Technic builders may find it over before they've properly settled in. Several builders, myself included, noticed the windscreen border pieces sit loosely and wobble if you knock them. And at 28cm long it's a compact model, so if you're picturing a big flagship centerpiece, this is not that car.

Who it's for

Who should get this? Anyone stepping into Technic for the first time who wants real working mechanisms without spending flagship money. It's forgiving, it's fun, and that door trick is a brilliant hook to fall in love with the theme. It's also a great pick for a builder who just wants a pleasant afternoon and a working toy on the desk afterward. Who should skip it? If you build Technic for display accuracy and engineering density, or you already own the bigger supercars, this will feel slight. But taken for what it is, a friendly, affordable little hypercar with one genuinely clever party trick, it delivers more than its size and price suggest.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building this is a smooth, low-stress ride, which is exactly what you want from an entry-level Technic set. The bags are cleanly organized, the instructions are clear, and it took me comfortably under two hours. The real highlight moment is assembling the door mechanism: a gear rack runs across the chassis and drives the doors on both sides, so when they open they turn and travel outward together. Watching that click into place and work the first time is the single most satisfying step in the box.

There isn't a hoard of rare printed parts here, this is a function-first build rather than a parts-pack, but the pieces earn their keep. The V8 uses crank discs to drive the little pistons, there's a proper differential in the mix, and the door assembly leans on 12-tooth double-bevel gears meeting perpendicular single-bevel gears to pull off that ninety-degree swing. The dark stone grey panels are the standout as a colour statement even if they read a touch drab, and for 801 pieces at around fifty dollars the part-count value is fair for Technic, where you're paying for mechanisms as much as brick count.

Fun facts

01The real Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is built for top speed rather than downforce, with Koenigsegg claiming it as the fastest car they have ever designed.
02LEGO released a near-identical white version (42184) at the same price, swapping the grey model's orange accent lines for a mossy green.
03The doors replicate the Jesko's real dihedral synchro-helix system, rotating ninety degrees while moving outward, driven by a gear rack running across the chassis.
04The model finishes at roughly 28cm long, 13cm wide and 8cm tall, and includes a detachable steering knob that stores inside the front of the car.