The Koenigsegg Gemera is finally ready to go into production. What remains an incredibly novel and innovative vehicle three years on from the initial concept’s reveal has undergone some significant changes, not least the fact that a previously-undisclosed version will take the title of world’s most powerful production car. If you so choose – and wish to part with an extra £340,000 on top of the £1.4million price of entry – you can have a Gemera with a version of the Jesko’s twin-turbo V8.
Yes, let’s cover that first. Koenigsegg reckons it started with a bit of curiosity and playing around in CAD. The question: would the V8 fit in the Gemera’s tightly packaged frame? The answer, amazingly, was yes, albeit with a bit of modification, so as Christian von Koenigsegg said, what “could not be unseen”, had to be investigated.
The result is the HV8 Gemera, with a hot-V version of the Jesko’s V8, that spits the exhaust and turbos upwards out of the head, rather than down and outwards. It still produces 1,500PS (1,103kW) and with the help of the Genera’s all-new 800PS (588kW) hybrid system (more on that in a moment), delivers a total of 2,300PS (1,692kW) and 2,750Nm (2,028lb ft) to all four wheels. Hell’s horses…
So about that hybrid system. Koenigsegg has been busy these last three years, developing what it calls the Dark Matter motor, a six-phase (a world first for production cars) Raxial Flux E-motor. Just one of these takes the place of the three ‘Quark’ motors that were originally planned, reducing weight and complexity and freeing up space.
So about that hybrid system. Koenigsegg has been busy these last three years, developing what it calls the Dark Matter motor, a six-phase (a world first for production cars) Raxial Flux E-motor. Just one of these takes the place of the three ‘Quark’ motors that were originally planned, reducing weight and complexity and freeing up space.
Every Gemera will get this Dark Matter motor, as well as the LSTT (Light Speed Tourbillon Transmission), which is sworn in place of a Regera-style Direct Drive. So where the Gemera didn’t have ‘gears’ before, now it has nine. Well, nine speeds, thanks to Koenigsegg’s innovative multi-clutch superbike-style gearbox. It was an innovation in the Jesko they couldn’t help but adapt for the Gemera. It’s also claimed the battery is a bit smaller in the production version compared with the concept and Gemera also gets a 100-litre fuel tank, for maximum grand touring chops.
The 600PS three-cylinder twin-turbo free-valve engine promised in the concept lives on in the ‘standard’ Gemera, for a max system output of 1,400PS and 1,850nm. All Gamera’s will still be all-wheel-drive, with constantly variable torque vectoring and the ability to send engine or electric power to any of the four wheels.
What about some of the less desirable numbers, like for instance, the number of kilograms this incredible car will weigh? Well, there aren’t exact numbers given, though if you plug in the 2,300PS and the 1.11hp/kg power-to-weight ratio, you get 2,072kg. So it’s not a featherweight, though if you think of it this way, the Bugatti Veyron weighed 1,990kg. So the Gemera HV8 has the power of two Veyrons plus a Golf R, to shift the weight of one Veyron, plus 82kg. Remember when the Veyron’s 1,000PS blew your mind? Performance numbers are to be determined but, needless to say, Koenigsegg is confident even at over two tonnes this will be a record-setting machine.
As for the rest of it? Well, there’s been a bit of nip and tuck here and there – there are new lights with three-bar LED signatures and the underfloor aero looks to have been enhanced a bit, judging by that more aggressive diffuser exit at the rear. But by and large, it’s the Gemera as was – a full four-seat Megacar, complete as Koenigsegg is at pains to remind us, with cupholders that will heat and cool your drinks per your desires.
The reveal of the production-ready Gemera comes as Koenigsegg inaugurates the new factory – the Gripen Atelier – it’s built dedicated to its production. It should start pumping them out by the end of 2024, for deliveries in Q1 2025. The Gemera will be the most numerous Koenigsegg, with 300 planned to be made. So what do you think of the Gemera in all its production-ready glory?
Report by Ethan Jupp
