Utilizing his special access, Mr. JWW got into the passenger seat of the first driving Gemera with the company's founder.
YouTuber Mr JWW received access to realms of the world we mere mortals can only dream of. Be that hypercars, expensive watches, or the most expensive places to your head. Mr JWW of late turned from simply another car YouTuber into an international businessman and a platform to quote his website "Global Reach." At the pinnacle of his career so far, the influencer launched the Maserati MC20. In his ever-changing collection sits some of the world's best performance vehicles. These include an Aston Martin DBS, Porsche 911 GT3, and controversially a Toyota GR Yaris. According to Mr JWW, soon to join his collection is a Koenigsegg Gemera, arguably the most exciting hypercar. It's the Swedish brand's attempt at a family car. Or, at least a car that can scare three of your friends at a time instead of just one.
Utilizing his special access and influence, Mr JWW has gotten into the passenger seat of the first driving Gemera with the company's founder.
According to Koenigsegg themselves, the Gemera is the world's first "Mega-GT." The Swedish manufacturer first produced hypercars in the 1990s. The first of these the CC saw production in some form until 2010. The successor came as the Agera. Using the same formula, mid-engined, and a simple understated exterior. With the push towards hybridization, the company launched the Regera and Jesko. Now, the company is looking to expand its customer base. With room for four, the Gemera is best thought of as an incredibly fast Bentley.
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Nestled in the chassis comes a 2.0-liter 3-cylinder motor with a power output of 600 horsepower. This alone could scare a Continental GT. However, Koenigsegg went further. Supplementing this engine with a hybrid drivetrain achieves a total power figure of 1,700 horsepower and 2,581 pound-foot of torque. The Gemera marks the next step of hybridization, where the electric motor provides the majority of the power. According to Christian Von Koenigsegg, the motor they have built goes by the name the terrier. The motor is the "lightest, most compact, most powerful per weight and size electric drive unit we've ever seen."
The Gemera has captured online discourse. Not only is it new for the Swedish marque, but also, the Gemera opens up an entirely new segment. Previous hyper-hybrids only had two seats. The fastest EVs match the Gemera's 1.9-second 0-62-mph time. However, no EV comes close to the Gemera's claimed 249-mph top speed.
Mr JWW rode in the Gemera with Christian Von Koenigsegg. As a result, he is the first person outside the company to do this. The Gemera is still in the prototype stage. Wires line the surfaces of the cabin and there is no roof lining. A large red kill switch sits prominently on the center console. The prototype has no dashboard. Access to wiring and motors is incredibly important when testing a car, saving time on repairs and modifications. The Gemera won't come to market like this. Carrying the price tag of one of the world's most elusive hypercars, the vehicle will receive luxury finishes.
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In publicity renderings of the Gemera, the manufacturer presents the car in a subtle shade of gray with a contrasting yellow interior. The prototype has plenty of exposed carbon fiber, which although racecar-like is hardly the most luxurious of materials. The seats in Koenigsegg's render feature both the Swedish flag and the brand's logo. Bolstered and luxurious they're not a complete world away from the Recaro bucket seats that currently feature.
A spacious cabin without B pillars the Gemera is sure to feel like a spacious yacht for the road. With only two doors but a wide entrance, passengers step in without moving seats forward like in cheap three doors, like a Ford Fiesta or Porsche 911.
Currently, the Gemera can not reach its real limit. The engine only revs to 4,500 rpm, while the eventual redline will hit 8,500 rpm, nearly twice where the car is now. The engineers are proud of their work. With a software-driven approach, the rules of mechanical motoring largely go out the window. The CEO boasts of a software mode that means with only one flick of the downshift paddle, the car can drop three or four gears. Immediately hitting that high end of the redline and surging into the horizon.
Hybrid drivetrains are complex at the best of times. The Gemera is on another level. The engine drives the front wheels and the motor in the rear with a carbon-fiber torque tube that provides torque vectoring. Partnering with the four-wheel steer system, the Gemera at the limit will handle like nothing else.
With only half the engine unlocked, the Gemera shows much restraint. However, both the CEO and Mr JWW draw comparisons to a spaceship with the shape of the cockpit. Even constrained to 4,500 rpm, this is surely the best sounding 2.0-liter engine to enter the market. Christian Von Koenigsegg speaks to how stiff the monocoque is under "fairly hard" driving. The Gemera is nowhere near finished. But proven to run and with the company's track record for performance cars, the model is exciting, to say the least.
Douglas Hamilton is a British gearhead with a degree in Literature. He grew up surrounded by F1, Need For Speed, and classic cars. He has a worrying obsession with Jaguar.