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GUMPERT Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH is celebrating 4 world premieres at the 80th International Motor Show in Geneva. The ultimate in high-tech versus the day-to-day and performance sport.

The new GUMPERT power package will be on show for the first time at the 80th Geneva Motor Show: two impressive versions of the further developed apollo sport, in contrasting black and white.

Optimised engine control, new recirculation valves and improved cooling have now improved the performance of the German Altenburg-built racing car to 750 hp/551 kW (previously 700 hp/515 kW). This increase in performance of more than seven percent can be felt above all on curved and fast stretches of road. The power per litre therefore increases to more than 180 hp per litre of cylinder capacity!

Extremely short gear shifts of up to 40 milliseconds (torque-to-torque) are provided with precise transmission from the apollo TT40e (electronic gear system), with faster gear changes thanks to rocker switches on the steering wheel. The Formula 1-type technology promises drivers spoilt by the apollo the ultimate in comfort along with their adrenaline rush. The apollo’s outstanding performance on the track and its excellent lateral acceleration, thanks to maximum surface pressure and grip in all driving situations, remains unaffected by this. A further highlight is the launch of the first apollo right-hand drive vehicle. Yet a further reason for an international push!

With its supreme driving performance, the apollo recently became a test champion (Supertest “sports auto”, 11/2009). The new lap record of 7:11.57 minutes recorded on the Nordschleife of the Nuerburgring track is an impressive indication of the super sports car’s claim to be the best. Driving enthusiasts with sporting ambitions will note the improved ergonomics of the vehicle thanks to its extended monocoque and the larger adjustment area of the pedals.

“Although the apollo demonstrates its strengths above all on the racetrack, with its optimum aerodynamics and resulting breathtaking curve speed, it is largely suitable for day-to-day use, as proved by tests conducted by a number of independent car magazines. We think of the driver and his comfort…” confirms Roland Gumpert, founder and Managing Director of GUMPERT Sportwagenmanufaktur.

The LED daytime running lights ensure clear conditions in temporary traffic. In the course of reducing the vehicle’s drag coefficient, the front and tail now have a significantly more striking and forceful design, making the apollo seem more aggressive. A completely re-designed flap-controlled exhaust system with two times two tail pipes produces an unmistakeable earthy sound. In addition flaps in the tail area ensure optimised down force, something that has always been a priority of the apollo. The integration of a brand-new reinforced CIMA gearbox (apollo S1000) into the apollo sport now gives it improved reliability in long-distance races. Further innovations in 2010: a considerably improved CD/DVD player sound system and a central flashlight for motor racing on the redesigned tail.

2 ravishingly exquisite apollo sport await you in Geneva to satisfy your curiosity in Hall 2 on stand 2045!

It is one of only a handful of super sport cars and after its debut at Geneva’s international Motor Show in 2006 it was clear: the apollo is a synthesis of dynamic and design with pure driving pleasure and unique performance. On the road it speeds like a god and on the race track it cries out to be challenged by an opponent that can match its breathtaking acceleration and incomparable handling. Now, it is due to get a worthy competitor out of its own stable. At the 77th Geneva Motor Show, the Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur will present the apollo sport to the wide public.

The apollo sport is the rebel amongst the super sport cars. Its bodywork combines sexy curves with potent edges and angles and aims for uncompromising aerodynamics. A clear demonstration of the principle “form follows function”. Its challenging sporting design derives from the requirement to built a street legal racing car, whose number one priority is to provide extraordinary performance on the circuit, but at the same time embodying a vehicle suitable for daily use.

The highest importance was attached to safety: the tubular space frame in chrome-molybdenum steel with integrated safety monocoque fabricated in carbon-fiber passes all crash-tests regulations, while a cashbox offers additional protection. The gaping air intake stub over the roof and on the rear signals power, dynamics and superiority. The eight cylinder, bi-turbo mid-engine with up to 800 horsepower is capable of catapulting this 1200 kg missile from 0-100 km/h in only 3 seconds.

The apollo sport is equipped with an extended aerodynamic package and, in contrast to the three part spoiler of the apollo, possesses a racing wing which gives even more down force and pushes the apollos’s maximum speed up to 360 km/h.

As you can guess, it is not for nothing that this cars is named after the fierce Greek God.

The two-seater also convinces from the inside, with its sporty and elegant alcantara interior, and offers air-condition, CD-player, navigation system and reverse view camera as standard equipment. A two-layer metallic finish available in any conceivable color, gives this bolide a particular luster. As a special accessory the apollo is equipped with an airjack, a pneumatic jacking pad.

The standard version of the apollo sport costs 299.500,- € plus VAT.

The Hybrid Apollo uses both an 100 kW electric motor and a 3.3 liter V8 bi-turbo petrol engine and produces 630 hp. The electric motor will be recharged when the car brakes. During its maiden race, the hybrid-concept took on race cars like the Porsche 911 GT3, Dodge Viper, Lamborghini Gallardo, BMW Z4 and Chevrolet Corvette.

Gumpert is fully aware of the 2009 Formula 1 rule that teams must use hybrid engines and has therefor formed a team around the former F1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen. “Motorsports can not ignore the necessity to save energy. I see a chance that our sport will go back to the forefront of technical development, making cars outside of the ractrack much more energy efficient,” said Frentzen.

Exactly three years after series production began in Altenburg, Thuringia; the 40th apollo rolled out of the factory.

And even in times of economic and financial crisis, Roland Gumpert, company founder and managing director, and his 45-man team, are looking at the coming year with optimism, as the GUMPERT success story has only just begun.

Reason enough to review past experiences and to find out why this super-sportsman is so fascinated with the griffin as a symbol? “The most exciting car to ever wear number plates”, was the headline in the British magazine AUTOCAR in early summer 2005. The apollo is a rebel among supercars, and the figures speak for themselves: 8 cylinders, 650 hp, 850 Newton metres and a top speed of well over 300 km/h. But this car isn’t exactly lacking in terms of looks either.

Be it double wing doors, monstrous air intakes or the huge spoiler for even more downforce. The apollo makes one thing unmistakably clear; form follows function. And makes it successful!

Start your engine!

“From the first ideas to the start of production was a long and difficult journey”, recalls Roland Gumpert. “I returned to Germany at the end of 2001, after over three years in China. As head of sales and marketing I was responsible for the development of the dealer network for the Audi-VW joint venture in China. Here once more, Roland Mayer (MTM) asked me whether, as a project engineer, I would like to assist in the building of a prototype sports car. With the approval of Audi and on the condition that, if we were to develop a new sports car, it would not be a prototype, but a series product that we developed, we began with the apollo project. Roughly three years later, the first two prototypes were completed.”

It has been confirmed to the Altenburg team more than once that the apollo is not simply a supercar but nearer to being a racing car than any other car before. In many respects, the car is already designed for the racetrack. “Since the beginning, we have placed especially great importance on safety. The tube frame of the apollo is made from chromium molybdenum steel which is also used in the building of aeroplanes. Italready fulfils standard international design specifications of the FIA motor sport authorities”, affirms Gumpert.

The fast car provided evidence of its racetrack capabilities at the “24 hours Nürburgring” in May. The “green hell” became the stage of a spectacular premiere. As F1 regulations will be allowing hybrid systems from 2009, a private team built around former F1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen took on the challenge a year earlier: the use of a hybrid racing car in the marathon in the Eifel. With the hybrid version of the GUMPERT apollo, GUMPERT Sportwagenmanufaktur has broken new ground. Just three months went by between the first discussions and the finished apollo. The hybrid racer, with its 3.3 Litre V8 bi-turbo engine and an electric motor providing roughly 100 kW, can move at up 630 hp. It wasn’t quite enough to win this time, but it proved that hybrid technology has a future in motor sports.

To gear up!

The goals for 2009 have been set high. 25 cars should leave the factory. Destination: The whole world! In the past few months, GUMPERT has been able to find people interested in buying its cars in Europe, the Middle East and the USA: “Needless to say, we would like to further expand our distribution network, mostly towards the East, so Russia and the Asian region or Australia. At the moment we are thinking in terms of the latter two markets as well as about a right-hand drive car”; boasts Gumpert. At the moment the company sells 60% of its cars abroad.

One of the new technical developments in the coming year is a hydraulic lift system, which gives the apollo up to 30 mm of additional ground clearance. In addition, there will be a few changes to the design of the fast car. What is it that makes the apollo so special?

This car is so unique in its design, it shines with driving dynamics and power and the car alone knows what driving pleasure and perfect handling really are. Having respect, courage and being a bit of a petrol head are prerequisites for anyone hoping to tame this beast. For Roland Gumpert, one thing is clear: “It is therefore the full package of everything a car needs; namely quality, exclusivity and technology. The customer should stand in front of it and say: “Wow, that’s a great car, I want it!”

The full interview with Roland Gumpert can be found in our Press Lounge at www.gumpert.de.

Background information

Exclusivity is expressed in uniqueness

GUMPERT Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH is a manufacturer of exclusive super sports cars based in Altenburg / Thuringia – close to the City of Leipzig.

The Managing Director is Roland Gumpert. Mr. Gumpert previously worked for AUDI for over 30 years and held – amongst other high positions – the position of Director of AUDI Sport. Under his management, AUDI won a total of 25 World Rally Championship races and 4 World Rally Championship titles.

The apollo is a pure uncompromising, street-legal super sports car with extraordinary racing-performance. It provides superior driving abilities beyond all imagination: up to 224 mph (360 km/h) maximum speed and a breathtaking acceleration from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 3 seconds. Thereby every car is a unique masterpiece; individually customized to the wishes and desires. Thus it bears the personal touch of its owner. The apollo offers unlimited fun on the road and serious competition in motor sports. A bolide setting benchmarks.

The basic price of the GUMPERT apollo with its V8 4.2 l Twin-Turbo engine – generating 650 BHP – is 301.600 EUR excl. of VAT (from January 2009).