1468kgs combined with 650PS is a very respectable power to weight ration. Add in 850Nm of torque and it is clear that the Gumpert Apollo {link} is a serious super car. More figures reinforce the impression; 0-62 mph takes 3.9 seconds, 0-124 mph takes 10.9 seconds and the Apollo’s top speed is 222 mph.
Designed and built by former Audi Sport boss Roland Gumpert’s company the Apollo is a racecar for the road. Many cars make this claim but the Gumpert Apollo really is a road legal racer. Function has taken priority over form, the Apollo is designed to perform rather than parade. The extreme aerodynamic detailing of this 2 seat, mid engined sports car means that as it approaches top speed it generates more downforce than the car itself weighs, both impressive
There are very few creature comforts in the Gumpert Apollo, the sits are floor mounted and offer no adjustment (the pedals and steering wheel adjust) and those that there are come directly from an Audi parts bin. Switch gear, ventilation, dials other items are all from Ingolstadt though the carbon panels and alcantara padding most certainly isn’t, nor are the 4 point harnesses which offer added security compared to normal lap-and-diagonal seat belts. In car entertainment is limited to the steering wheel and pedals, they will provide more entertainment than any radio, CD or DVD player ever could!
Another Audi influence is the engine, normally found in the A8 the 4.2 litre V8 produces far more power than the standard 335PS of an A8. A couple of KKK turbo chargers help give the Gumpert Apollo the extra 325PS it produces and they keep power climbing high into the rev range. By using a six speed sequential gearbox the Apollo always has an ample supply of power and torque available for those lucky enough to drive it. Handling is always going to be at a premium for this type of car and the Gumpert Apollo uses true race bred technology in its suspension; fully independent, double wishbones from and rear with pushrod operated dampers.
The Gumpert Apollo is impressively powerful and undoubtedly very fast. It will also lap race circuits at exceptional speeds offer a very rewarding and ultimately thrilling drive. On the public road, in the wet or in the hands of a driver with more money than ability the Gumpert Apollo will not be a pleasant experience.
When a car is designed and focused so much on ultimate performance, as the Apollo undoubtedly is, then it looses vast amounts of practicality and almost becomes a road car white elephant; tailored to and from venues where it came be driven to its maximum capabilities and where it will definitely excel. Getting to and from those venues in a Gumpert Apollo would be too much of an unpleasant experience for all but the most dedicated…
The lucky 39 Gumpert customers who will receive their £228,000 cars in 2008 will be driving an automotive masterpiece. The fact that everyday driving is a chore should take nothing away from the Gumpert Apollo, it is a masterful and exceptionally capable super car. Currently it is the closest thing to a thorough bred racecar on the roads of Europe and I can’t see any manufacturers taking that title away from Roland Gumpert and his dedicated team of employees any time soon.
