The new Koenigsegg Gemera and Jesko Absolut revealed via live stream at an empty Geneva Motor Show which only served to add atmosphere and drama to the presentation.
Revealed: New Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut – Speed focused variation
In true Ghost Squadron style, Koenigsegg led the pack by embracing an abandoned empty atmosphere at the recently cancelled Geneva Show, continuing to put on an incredible high impact show. One that weaved a personal story, hosted solely by the founder Christian von Koenigsegg and one that set the stage for its two new cutting edge products to be released from the dark…and they didn’t disappoint.
Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut
“The fastest Koenigsegg we will ever endeavor to make”
Christian von Koenigsegg
First announced was the Jesko Absolut – the newer and faster version of the original Jesko hypercar revealed at last years Geneva Motor Show.
According to Koenigsegg, the twin-turbocharged V8 engined Jesko Absolut is the fastest car they have ever made and (most likely for safety purposes) have vowed they will never attempt to make a faster series-production car.
In the words of CEO and founder Christian von Koenigsegg, “Both Jesko versions are truly masters in their own right. The Absolut version with its shockingly low drag coefficient of 0.278 Cd, combined with its high-speed stability optimized aero features, daily drive friendly characteristics and luggage space, make the Jesko Absolut a land-based rocket-ship determined to reach unheard-of speed in record-setting pace.”
In comparison to the original Jesko (the track-focused version), the 1,600 horsepower producing Jesko Absolut is 100% speed focused and because of this, looks much more streamline. The massive rear spoiler has been removed and replaced by two F-15 fighter jet inspired fins that double as vertical stabilisers and clean up airflow over the rear end, helping to reduce total drag and stabilize the car at high speeds.
Also contributing to the additional speed of the Jesko Absolut is Koenigsegg’s own developed and produced “Light Speed Transmission” (LST) system that allows gears changes from any gear to another (skipping gears also ok) in a fraction of a second, along with Absolut’s “Ultimate Power On Demand” (UPOD) system that predicts the correct gear change and makes sure the power is there for maximum acceleration.
While no mention was made of exact times and top speeds, Koenigsegg hinted towards some big numbers saying “How fast? Time will tell. Looking at the math and our advanced simulations – it will be unbelievably fast……The car was built to produce new high speed records.”
With both Jesko variants combined, only 125 Jesko’s total will be produced and it was noted that owners who currently already have original Jesko’s on order will be given the option to choose between their original track-focused variation or the high speed focused Jesko Absolut option. So at this stage Koenigsegg do not know how the variant split will look in time.
Koenigsegg Gemera – The brand’s first 4 seater mega-GT vehicle
In a surprise reveal to many, the second car announced was the “Gemera”, Koenigsegg’s first ever 4 seater vehicle that will be limited to only 300 cars.
Introducing the new car, Christian von Koenigsegg stated, “Ultimate performance has belonged to the world of two-seaters with very limited luggage space – until now. The Gemera is a completely new category of car where extreme megacar meets spacious interior and ultimate environmental consciousness. We call it a Mega-GT.”
The unique name Gemera was suggested by Christian von Koenigsegg’s mother who came up with it based on the Swedish phrase “ge mera” meaning to “give more” in English. In this case the two Swedish words have simply been pushed together and “give more” it certainly does.
A full sized mid-engined mega car, the Koenigsegg Gemera can comfortably seat 4 people and has a spacious interior not ever been seen before in a full sized GT sports car. Despite being a four seater, the Gemera can do 0-100km/h in 1.9 seconds and it’s power and performance still allows it to outperform most 2 seater megacars.
Creature comforts inside the car include memory foam heated seats, wireless phone chargers, 4 hot & cold cup holders and front & rear infotainment displays for all passengers.
Outside the Gemera, the long dihedral opening doors mean all 4 occupants can enter the car without having to move seats forward. Having given thought to the practicality of parking, the length of the doors are designed so that they work in 95% of all garage heights, but for those with unusually lower ceilings, sensors on top and in front of the doors will detect a lower height or obstacles and stop the doors early while still allowing access and egress.
The Gemera is optimised and envisioned to be carbon neutral, basically emission free and uses multiple power systems. The first is a 2 litre combustion engine with 600hp and 600nm created from a 3 cylinder twin turbo engine designed to run on renewable fuels.
Koenigsegg wants to put an end to fossil fuel dependency on combustion engines. The advantage of utilizing a combustion engine is that it is at least 30% lighter than a full-electric vehicle with a similar range and power. This creates a car that is more agile, has more room, better acceleration, cornering and braking and is CO2 neutral if you use the right fuel.
Another advantage not lost on many is the sound a combustion engine produces. Even though it is only 3 cylinders, the cylinders are still large enough in size and coupled with a Titanium Akrapovic exhaust system the sound is guaranteed to please.
The Gemera is a flex fuel car meaning you have choices of using pretty much whatever fuel you can find. Koenigsegg say that full-electric cars are still great but there are also challenges with how many charging stations are around and it’s difficult to produce cells quickly enough for world wide implementation. Designed to be a long distance traveling car, the Gemera has an expected 1000km range when fully fueled & charged.
The front axle is driven by the combustion engine and an electric motor coupled with a hydraulic clutch for each output shaft. The rear axle is driven by two independent electric motors with 500bhp and 1000nm each. All 4 wheels on the Gemera have torque vectoring so as Christian von Koenigsegg says “It can be as steady as a freight train on the Autobahn or agile around the corners of a race track because we can play around with all these parameters.”
All up the Gemera has 1700bhp, 3500nm of torque and a super-fast 0-100km (0-60mph) time of 1.9 seconds, quite incredible for a 4 seater car with 4 wheel steering. With a full carbon fibre construction (that’s body, monocoque, chassis basically everything) Koenigsegg has a production aim to keep Gemera’s weight under 1900kg.
Lamborghini is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Countach with a special edition LPI 800-4 model debuting at this year’s Monterey Car Week.
In celebration of the Countach’s 50th anniversary, Lamborghini has unveiled a special limited edition Countach LPI 800-4 as a futuristic tribute to the poster car of the 1980s.
While sharing the same name and drawing on the visual legacy of its predecessor, the new Countach LPI 800-4 is powered by Lamborghini’s aspirated V12 engine combined with new hybrid supercapacitor technology initially developed for the Sian.
Delivering 802hp maximum combined power (rounded to 800 for the sake of its model name), the LPI 800-4 can reach 0-62mph acceleration in just 2.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 220mph.
“The Countach LPI 800-4 is a visionary car of the moment, just as its forerunner was,” says Automobili Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann. “One of the most important automotive icons, the Countach not only embodies the design and engineering tenet of Lamborghini but represents our philosophy of reinventing boundaries, achieving the unexpected and extraordinary and, most importantly, being the ‘stuff of dreams.
“The Countach LPI 800-4 pays homage to this Lamborghini legacy, but it is not retrospective: it imagines how the iconic Countach of the 70s and 80s might have evolved into an elite super sports model of this decade. It upholds the Lamborghini tradition of looking forward, of exploring new design and technology avenues while celebrating the DNA of our brand. It is a Lamborghini that innately expresses the marque’s enduring and emotive power: always inspirational and thrilling to see, hear and most of all drive.”
Inspired by the Countach’s distinctive silhouette, sharp angles, and wedge shape, the Countach LPI 800-4’s exterior inspiration was taken specifically from the Quattrovalvole edition in the bold lines of the front bonnet with long, low rectangular grille and headlights, as well as in the wheel arches with their hexagonal theme.
Unfortunately for fans of the Wolf of Wall Street Countach, there’s no fixed rear wing on the latest model. However, there are still air scoops integrated fluidly into the car’s shoulders and the distinctive Countach slatted “gills” and famous scissor doors.
The rear of the Countach LPI 800-4 still features a distinctive inverted wedge shape, with the rear bumper featuring a lower, sleeker line and the hexagonal rear light design similar to that of the Sián.
Lamborghini has revealed only 112 models of the new Countach LPI 800-4 will be produced (a number chosen in honor of the internal project name “LP 112” used for the original Countach development) with allocations already fulfilled prior to the public launch.
Porsche Motorsport celebrates 25 years partnership with Manthey-Racing and reveals the limited edition 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25.
Porsche Motorsport is celebrating 25 years of collaboration with Manthey-Racing GmbH and has unveiled the limited edition 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25 to commemorate.
Founded by racing driver Olaf Manthey in 1996, Manthey-Racing GmbH is responsible for running the Porsche 911 RSR of the factory squad in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and has made a name for itself in both the motor racing world and as a GT road car specialist.
The basic concept and technical ideas for the new special edition was provided by Manthey and based on the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport with Porsche providing the final design.
Developed specifically for track days and circuit racing, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25 is powered by a 3.8-liter flat-six twin-turbo engine and produces 515 HP directed to the rear wheels through Porsche’s seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox (PDK).
Taking inspiration from Manthey’s 911 GT3 R, known as the “Grello” because of its distinctive green and yellow livery, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25 sports a similar green and yellow color scheme to highlight functional areas of the vehicle and adopts many vehicle components and elements from future Porsche racing cars.
“The design of the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25 expresses the long-standing collaboration between Porsche Motorsport and Manthey,” emphasizes Grant Larson from Style Porsche. “It amalgamates the respective strengths of each partner into one racing car, and at the same time bridges the gap between the 991 and 992 model generations of the 911.”
The Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25 is limited to 30 vehicles in total (only six are allocated for North America) with deliveries expected to begin in early 2022.
To order, customers will need to email 911GT2RSClubsport25@porsche.de directly and have a spare $620,00 on hand.
The new Pagani Huayra BC Pacchetto Tempesta is set to make its debut at this year’s Monterey Car Week and celebrates ten years of the Huayra supercar.
This year at Monterey Car Week, Pagani celebrates ten years of the Huayra with the world premiere of the new Pagani Huayra BC Pacchetto Tempesta.
Based on the Huayra BC, the new Pacchetto Tempesta package means the Huayra BC’s high-performance platform can be equipped with a range of “state-of-the-art technical and artisan solutions” to maximize the car’s racing abilities and achieve an 8% power increase to deliver 827 hp and 1,100 Nm torque.
Pagani has only teased several introductory images of the green carbon fiber bodied beauty ahead of the premiere, and although full details are yet to be shared, Pagani has noted that the Pacchetto Tempesta features a new front splitter, dedicated air intake, rear wing with an integrated central fin, and six-pipe exhaust system to maximize aerodynamic efficiency.
A tweaked suspension system and the addition of an all-new “Soft Driving mode” also ensure drivers are afforded maximum comfort in the aggressive Huayra BC Pacchetto Tempesta.
The Huayra BC Pacchetto Tempesta will make its debut at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering event on Friday 13th August at Monterey Car Week 2021 and will be seen alongside the Huayra R project and an up-close-and-personal look at the all-new Pagani V12-R engine, six-speed sequential gearbox.
While no prices have been revealed yet, the Pagani Huayra BC Pacchetto Tempesta will no double start above the $2.25 million price tag of the Huayra BC.