What would a car built by Koenigsegg and Polestar look like?
Even though there is a single brand name on a car when you buy it, the reality is that the automobile has always been an assembly of partnerships channeling their ingenuity into the mission at hand. Some partnerships are more interesting than others, but in the case of Koenigsegg and Polestar, two of Sweden’s premier performance car manufacturers, the thought of their mechanical progeny set a gearhead’s imagination wild.
Their synchronized propaganda campaign showcases the upcoming Koenigsegg Gemera alongside Polestar’s Precept concept. These two machines represent the pinnacle of their builders’ ethos, with the Gemera being the first Koenigsegg released with their long-awaited, solenoid-actuated “Free Valve” engines, which frees the intake and exhaust valves from relying on camshafts for actuation and allows them to be individually activated to match any situation. While we have cylinder deactivation, variable valve timing, and variable valve lift technology, current valvetrains will always be limited by the basic profile of the camshaft and an escalating level of complicated assemblies to only grasp at the level of valvetrain control Christian von Koenigsegg’s Free Valve design.
The ability to change the opening and closing points of each valve, thereby affecting valve timing and duration, allows the engine to easily implement the aforementioned valvetrain technologies through programming instead of using additional mechanisms, which often result in increased complexity and rotational weight. The twin-turbo, 2.0-liter three-cylinder is compact, with the cylinder head being uniquely short thanks to the removal of conventional over-head camshafts. The little triple alone is worth 600 horsepower, and when combined with a three-motor hybrid driveline the Gemera is capable of producing 1700 horsepower and 2581 lb-ft of torque. This will be Koenigsegg’s first four-seater, though it will retain the iconic “dihedral synchro-helix” hinges in the two-door supercar.
Freevalve valvetrain featured in the Koenigsegg Gemera TFG from Freevalve on Vimeo.
Similarly for Polestar, the Precept is the up-and-coming brand’s thesis paper on what defines the Volvo- and Geely-backed boutique performance shop. Perhaps hoping to begin creating more exclusivity in a manufacturer that not only started tuning factory Volvos but was obsessed with racing them years prior with Jan ”Flash” Nilsson at the helm, Polestar’s Precept emphasizes a more conscious-driven approach to production.
“Precept is a declaration, a vision of what Polestar stands for and what makes the brand relevant,” says Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar. “The car is a response to the clear challenges our society and industry face. This is not a dream of a distant future; Polestar Precept previews future vehicles and shows how we will apply innovation to minimize our environmental impact.”
With that ethos in mind, Polestar focused on complimenting its second all-electric vehicle with seats “3D-knitted” with the strands of recycled PET bottles, carpets woven from the remains of abandoned fishing nets, and cork-vinyl derived seat and headrest bolsters backed by Bcomp’s flax-based composite seatbacks. Polestar wants to position its material choices as not only more eco-friendly, but also more premium than conventional materials, like wood and leather.
With these two engineering powerhouses combining their brain trusts, we imagine that they could create practically any vehicle. Each compliments the other in their particular skillsets: Koenigsegg builds orbit-shifting powerplants that defy convention, and Polestar brings its experience in building luxury-performance cars with the souls of racing-bred touring cars.
Imagine, if you will, the ultimate station wagon—Volvo’s long-roof wisdom housing the daring styling and sustainable production methods Polestar hopes to bring to the table, all motivated with Koenigsegg’s camless wonder and enough electrification to jumpstart Herman Munster. Given that there’s nothing else to go on other than these two cryptic social media posts, we’ll just jot this one down with the other dream cars we wish existed.
What do you think, which set of genes do you think Polestar and Koenigsegg will pass down to their final product? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
