Koeningsegg's family motor that goes 250mph

published 17 March 2020

“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”?

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

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.

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.