Apollo Automobil
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Apollo Automobil (previously known as Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur) is a German sports car manufacturer headquartered in Denkendorf. Roland Gumpert, who founded Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur in 2004, once held the position of director of Audi Sport.[1][2] Under his management, Audi won a total of 25 World Rally Championship rallies and four World Rally Championship titles.[3]
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, his former colleague at Audi and founder of Motoren Technik Mayer, Roland Meyer,[4] 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.[5]
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 cars were constructed.[3][6] The production of the Apollo started in October 2005.[7] Many variants of the Apollo were introduced throughout its production cycle.
On July 27, 2008, an Apollo Sport was featured on the UK automotive show Top Gear. One of the presenters, Richard Hammond and professional driver the Stig drove the car. With a lap time of 1:17.1, the Apollo Sport became the new leader on the Power Lap Board,[8] 0.2 seconds faster than the former lap leader, the Ascari A10. The Apollo was faster than the Bugatti Veyron and the Pagani Zonda around the Top Gear test track. It was later beaten with a time of 01:16.8 by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.
In 2011, the company introduced a concept car in collaboration with Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, the Gumpert Tornante.[9] The car was not put into production.
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.[10][11]
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.[12]
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