Apollo, also known as Apollo Automobil GmbH, is a German hypercar company built from the remains of Gumpert.
Overview[]
Apollo Automobil GmbH (Previously known as Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH) is a German sports car manufacturer headquartered in Denkendorf. Roland Gumpert, the founder of Apollo, once held the position of director of Audi Sport. Under his management, Audi won a total of 25 World Rally Championship races and four World Rally Championship titles.
In 2001, Roland Gumpert proposed a new generation of sports car, one that would be race-ready yet also street-legal. After Gumpert returned to Germany from China at the end of 2001, Roland Meyer asked him to assist in building a prototype sports car. Audi approved Gumpert's involvement in this project on the condition that the new sports car would be a series product and not a prototype.
The company was founded in 2004 under the name "GMG Sportwagenmanufaktur Altenburg GmbH". The technical guidelines were defined and the first designs of the car were drawn by Marco Vanetta. Upon Vanetta's completion of this process, the first 1:4 scale model of Gumpert's car was produced in 2002.
Gumpert continued with the development of the car now called the Apollo, along with the Technical University of Munich and the Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences. They assisted him with the construction work, computer simulations, and wind tunnel tests. This research and development helped form the blueprint for the first full-scale model. Finally two prototype Apollos were constructed. The production of the Apollo started in October 2005. Many variants of the Apollo were introduced throughout its production cycle.
In August 2013, the company filed for bankruptcy and went into liquidation after an anonymous backer pulled out of a deal that could have saved the company.
In January 2016, the company was purchased by Hong Kong consortium Ideal Team Venture which is also owner of the De Tomaso marque. The company was renamed Apollo Automobil GmbH after the acquisition by its new owner.
At the March 2016 Geneva Motor Show, Apollo unveiled the Arrow, a sports car that produces 986 hp (1,000 PS; 735 kW) from its twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine. The Arrow can accelerate from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.9 seconds, and has a projected top speed of 224 mph (360 km/h).
In November 2016, the company announced that former owner and founder Roland Gumpert was no longer associated with the company or its current or future projects and also announced a new model (project name ‘Titan’) will be unveiled at the June 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The new model was named Intensa Emozione (Intense Emotion in Italian) and was powered by the 6.3 L naturally-aspirated V12 engine. The car has radical styling inspired by the insects and the nature. The Intensa Emozione is built in collaboration with HWA AG.
Cars[]
Year | Model | Image | Appearances |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | N | Asphalt 8: Airborne Asphalt 9: Legends | |
2019 | Intensa Emozione | Asphalt 8: Airborne Asphalt 9: Legends | |
2022 | EVO | Asphalt 8: Airborne Asphalt 9: Legends |
External Links[]
See Also[]
- Gumpert, predecessor of the Apollo Automobil GmbH