It’s been more than three years since Koenigsegg took the covers off the Gemera, a four-seat hypercar generating 1,700 hp from a 3-cylinder engine and a trio of electric motors.
A new crop of electric hypercars boasting outputs reaching as high as 2,000 hp has since emerged, including the Lotus Evija and its 2,011 hp, which is the most powerful production car in the world.
Koenigsegg will have a response to these soon, and it comes from a tried-and-tested V-8 engine.
Due to enter production in late 2024, the Gemera will be offered with an available V-8 that coupled with a hybrid system will boast a combined output of 2,300 hp when running on E85 fuel, Koenigsegg said on Monday when announcing the completion of a major plant expansion known as the Gripen Atelier at the company’s headquarters in Ängelholm, Sweden.
“We are thrilled to inaugurate the Gripen Atelier and announce the launch of the client-specification Gemera, a truly groundbreaking megacar,” Christian von Koenigsegg, Koenigsegg’s CEO and founder, said in a statement. “Boasting numerous exciting updates and enhancements over the pre-series versions, the client-specification Gemera sets new benchmarks for the industry.”
The Gemera was originally revealed with a 2.0-liter turbo-3 coupled with three electric motors and the company’s Direct Drive transmission-replacing technology that relies on hydraulic coupling to connect the engine with the rest of the drivetrain. The Direct Drive made its debut in Koenigsegg’s Regera hypercar.
Since the reveal of the Gemera, Koenigsegg has developed the compact 9-speed Light Speed Transmission which can change gears without having to shift through each individual gear between the current gear and the desired gear. It also skips the flywheel and clutch, which Koenigsegg said “elevates” driver engagement and enjoyment.
The Light Speed Transmission, which will now feature in the Gemera, debuted in the Jesko hypercar whose turbocharged 5.0-liter V-8 is the engine being offered as an alternative to the Gemera’s standard inline-3. The rumored cost of the upgrade is a very hefty $400,000.
Some modifications were required to fit the Light Speed Transmission and V-8 in the Gemera’s tight confines. Remember, the car also has four seats, four-wheel drive, and trunk space for four carry-on suitcases. The V-8 engine was swapped to the so-called Hot-V design where the exhaust pipes are moved to the top of the engine in between the cylinder banks. The transmission was also designed in a way that it “wraps” around part of the engine, in what Koenigsegg has christened the Light Speed Tourbillon Transmission, the name borrowed from the tourbillon mechanism used in high-end watches.
Koenigsegg Gemera
“Before we came up with the [Light Speed Tourbillon Transmission], it was impossible to believe we could fit a mid-engined V-8 configuration in the Gemera, given the large occupant space in comparison to the compact size of the Gemera,” von Koenigsegg said.
The changes don’t end there, though. Koenigsegg has since developed a much more powerful version of its electric motor. The new unit, dubbed Dark Matter, develops 800 hp, versus the older Quark electric motor’s 335 hp. It means just one Dark Matter motor is used, replacing the three Quark motors that featured in the original design, making the powertrain lighter and smaller than before.
The standard 2.0-liter turbo-3 develops a peak 600 hp and coupled with the 800-hp Dark Matter motor generates a combined 1,400 hp. Opt for the V-8, which develops 1,500 hp on its own, and with the Dark Matter motor the combined output rises to 2,300 hp.
With the previously announced 1,700-hp output, Koenigsegg said the Gemera would deliver 0-62 mph acceleration in 1.9 seconds and a record-speed run to 248 mph. With the new V-8 option, Koenigsegg promises acceleration and performance will be significantly improved, though no numbers have been published.
Koenigsegg Gemera
Additional changes to the Gemera include the use of conventional side mirrors instead of camera-based mirrors as previously shown, to meet requirements in the U.S. The car will also be offered with the company’s high-downforce Ghost Package.
Production will be limited to 300 units, which no doubt have all been sold.
Update: This article has been updated with information from Koenigsegg.