Koeningsegg's family motor that goes 250mph
Koenigsegg’s latest creation is “mind-blowingly nuts”. Chris Carter reports
“The mad Swedish supercar scientists at Koenigsegg are known for making ludicrous, limited-run, high-performance vehicles such as the absurd 1,500-horsepower Regera… or last year’s 300mph missile, the Jesko,” says Sean O’Kane on The Verge.
But their latest creation, the 2021 Gemera, “takes the absurdity to another level”. It packs 1,700bhp, 2,580lb ft of torque and the ability to go from 0-62mph in 1.9 seconds and on to a top speed of a record-matching 250mph. Weirdly, it is also a “family car”.
It has four seats, cup holders, and enough room to store “carry-on luggage”. In other words, it is “absolutely mind-blowingly nuts”, says Vijay Pattni for Top Gear. But “what else would you expect from Koenigsegg”?
Lean, mean and green too
If you find all that hard to countenance, prepare “to have thine puny brains fried and served with a side of disbelief”, says Pattni. The new Gemera also has an “environmental consciousness”. It features three electric motors – one on each rear wheel, and one on the crankshaft – that alone deliver 1,100bhp simultaneously.
In electric-vehicle, rear-drive mode, the Gemera can reach 186mph, and its 800V battery lasts for up to 31 miles. Koenigsegg has then added its “tiny friendly giant” – a three-cylinder, twin-turbo, 2.0-litre “Freevalve” internal combustion engine that drives the front wheels – which means it is able to run on ethanol or carbon-neutral methanol. With the combustion engine in play, the Gemera’s range is extended to 620 miles between fill-ups.
Why such massive doors?
It looks good, too. Being a Koenigsegg, it still has doors that pop out and then rotate upwards around a single axis. “Except that in the Gemera’s case, they’re absolutely enormous, because they also serve as access to the rear seats as well,” as CJ Hubbard points out for Car magazine. “As the crazy Swedes cooly point out, this means there’s no B-pillar, making getting in and out of the back a little more graceful than in most hyper-GTs.”
That said, you “still have to deal with those heavily sculpted bucket seats”. Koenigsegg plans to build 300 of these cars. If you want to get your hands on one, expect to pay in the region of €1.7m.