Gumpert Apollo
| Gumpert | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Apollo | |
| Production period: | 2005-2016 |
| Class : | Sports car |
| Body versions : | Coupe |
| Engines: |
Petrol engines : 4.2 liters (478–633 kW) |
| Length: | 4460 mm |
| Width: | 1998 mm |
| Height: | 1114 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2700 mm |
| Empty weight : | 1100-1200 kg |
The Apollo is a super sports car that was manufactured by the Gumpert sports car manufacturer in Altenburg . The sports car has both road approval and various racing approvals such as that of the FIA GT.
history
development
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The project began under the name R1 in 2002. The concept envisaged building a racing car with road approval. In the same year a 1: 4 model was built based on the drafts of Marco Vanetta, who developed this design project at the University of Munich under Othmar Wickenheiser as a diploma thesis. The ex- Audi Motorsport boss Roland Gumpert was behind the project . In 2003, after the manufacture was founded, the first models and sketches were presented to the public. The price per piece was then estimated at 115,000 to 175,000 euros. Initially, three different engines were planned, a basic V8 with 279 kW (360 hp), a V8 supercharger with 338 kW (460 hp) and a V8 biturbo with 478 kW (650 hp).
The first Apollo prototype built in Ingolstadt was completed in 2004. In contrast to the large corporations, the manufactory used the prototype not only for tests, but also for advertising measures to make the project better known. During a promotion trip with a journalist, the first prototype crashed and was so badly damaged that it had to be rebuilt. Another prototype was completed in the same period. Belgian racing driver Ruben Maes drove the red prototype to third place in the Divinol Cup at the Hockenheimring in March 2005 .
The pre-production model was presented in 2005. It showed the Apollo largely in its final form. Differences to the prototypes were, among other things, that this model now had a monocoque , the wing doors opened up to the middle of the roof and the diffuser and the front lip were made smaller. The cockpit was already disguised, but it was completely redesigned before production started.
Series production
The official start of series production was on December 21, 2005 in Altenburg . The production line was designed for around 60 vehicles per year. The price of the Apollo at the start of production was 198,000 euros excluding taxes. Due to the manual work, the car could be assembled according to individual wishes. Since the concept was that it was a street legal racing car, the basic equipment to save weight was very limited in the beginning. Among other things, air conditioning and navigation systems were dispensed with, but the customer could have these installed on request. The Apollo now had comfort elements in the basic version, but the price also rose to 301,600 euros excluding VAT. Despite the individual assembly of the Apollo, the sports car manufacturer also offered packages. In addition to the basic version, there was a racing version. This included, for example, an air lift system and an engine extinguishing system. From 2007 Gumpert also offered a sports version that was placed between the racing version and the basic version. The runway and apron of Leipzig-Altenburg Airport served as a test track for the Apollo . The presentation of the Apollo to journalists and customers also mostly took place at the airport.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen , Dirk Müller , Marcel Engels and Dominik Schwager started the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2008 with an Apollo. Newly developed hybrid technology was used as the motor. In addition to a 3.3 liter V8 biturbo with 382 kW (520 hp), the Apollo also had an approx. 100 kW electric motor and a traction battery from Gaia Akkumulatorenwerke. However, the vehicle had to struggle with transmission problems in the conventional combustion segment throughout the race and was only kept in the race by the electric motor. It reached the checkered flag by installing two replacement transmissions, but was no longer included in the ranking.
In 2009 Gumpert Sportmanufaktur presented the Apollo Speed model variant for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show . In contrast to the other model variants, this one is not designed for fast cornering, but for acceleration and top speed. To achieve this, the Apollo Speed was reduced by nine millimeters and the aerodynamics improved. The lines around the wheel arches were changed, there were fixed rim covers at the front and rotating ones on the rear wheels, an adjustable rear wing and a paneled underbody. The taillights were particularly striking compared to the other model variants.
In 2010 the Apollo got a slight facelift on the front and rear. The air inlets were widened and the wheel arch changed. In addition, the Apollo now had LED daytime running lights. The most noticeable change at the rear was the flap exhaust with four tailpipes. In the interior, the monocoque has been enlarged to give the driver and front passenger more space. The engine with 700 hp, which was mainly installed in the sports version, got 50 hp more thanks to optimized engine control, new air circulation valves and improved cooling, and it currently has an output of 551 kW.
In 2012 the Apollo R was presented, a pure racing car with up to 633 kW. The special edition Apollo enraged, on the other hand, was limited to just three pieces, had an output of 574 kW, making it the most powerful street-legal Apollo that was ever produced.
Due to the insolvency of the sports car manufacturer, production was stopped in 2013. The new owner announced at the beginning of 2014 that they would restart production at another location, which did not happen. Eventually, the rights to the Apollo were sold to a Hong Kong investor. At the Geneva Motor Show 2016, a revised version of the Apollo with the well-known 4.2-liter V8 engine was presented. As part of the renaming of the company it should under the name Apollo N are sold. However, production never started.
body
The non-self-supporting body is built on a tubular space frame. This consists of around 200 pipes made of chrome-molybdenum steel welded together with pipe diameters of 25, 35 and 45 mm and a wall thickness of the pipes of 1 to 2 mm. Inside the frame is the 23 kg monocoque, which provides additional security. These two components can withstand accelerations of up to 50 g . At the front of the tubular space frame is a crash box that deforms in an accident and absorbs most of the impact energy. The body is made of either glass or carbon fiber reinforced plastic. According to the sports car manufacturer, the body is aerodynamically designed in such a way that, from a speed of 270 km / h, the contact pressure generated corresponds to the weight force, so that the downforce could bear the weight of the car. But that does not mean that the Apollo could drive on the ceiling, because in order to maintain this speed, the wheels have to transmit a considerable amount of propulsive force to the road.
technology
In its basic configuration, the Apollo has 478 kW (650 hp) with a maximum torque of 850 Nm at 4500 rpm. Motors with 551 kW (750 PS) or 588 kW (800 PS) are also available. The power is transmitted by a sequential 6-speed gearbox. The sports package (Apollo Sport / Apollo S) presented in Geneva at the 2007 Motor Show contains the 515 kW (700 hp) engine, the rear wing and an air jack (Airjack); the 588 kW engine is available in the Apollo Race. The basis of the various engines is a V8 engine block from Audi with a displacement of 4.2 l; the inner workings (for example the crank mechanism) were specially manufactured for the Apollo.
The vehicle is equipped with Pirelli tires of dimension 255/35 on 10 × 19 inch wheels (front) and 345/55 on 13 × 19 inch wheels (rear) or with Michelin tires of dimension 265/30 (front) and 345/30 (rear) on 19-inch wheels. For deceleration, the vehicle has internally ventilated, slotted brake discs with a diameter of 380 mm and 6-piston fixed calipers in conjunction with an anti-lock braking system (ABS).
Records
On August 13, 2009 the Apollo set a lap record for street legal vehicles on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring with 7: 11.57 minutes.
The Apollo S also held the lap record of 1: 17.1 minutes on the home track of the British car magazine Top Gear , until it was broken by the Bugatti Veyron SS .
Vehicle data
2005-2013
| Apollo | Apollo S | Apollo Enraged | Apollo R | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motor type | V8 petrol engine | |||
| Displacement | 4163 cc | |||
| Bore × stroke | 93.0 x 84.5 mm | |||
| Valves / camshafts | 5 per cylinder / 4 | |||
| Maximum Performance | 478 kW (650 hp) | 552 kW (750 hp) | 574 kW (780 hp) | 633 kW (860 hp) |
| maximum torque | 850 Nm | 920 Nm | 900 Nm | |
| Max. Speed | 7200 rpm | 7400 rpm | ||
| Empty weight | 1200 kg | 1175 kg | 1100 kg | |
| Top speed | 360 km / h¹ | 330 km / h² | 308 km / h³ | |
| Acceleration 0-100 km / h | 3.0 s | 2.9 s | ||
| Acceleration 0–200 km / h | 9.1 s | 8.8 s | 8.7 s | 8.6 s |
¹ depending on country specifications, aerodynamic package and gear ratio
² due to dog-ring gear ratio
³ due to race track gear ratio
2016
| Apollo N | |
|---|---|
| Motor type | V8 petrol engine |
| Displacement | 4163 cc |
| Bore × stroke | 93.0 x 84.5 mm |
| Valves / camshafts | 5 per cylinder / 4 |
| Maximum power | 515 kW (700 hp) at 6000 rpm |
| Max. Torque | 880 Nm at 4000 rpm |
| Max. Speed | 7200 rpm |
| Empty weight | 1200 kg |
| Top speed | 360 km / h |
| Acceleration 0-100 km / h | 3.0 s |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gumpert price list 2009
- ↑ Technical data of the HHF Hybrid Concept Car ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Gumpert apollo r and Gumpert apollo enraged at the 82nd Geneva Motor Show
- ↑ Apollo presents the Arrow ( Memento of the original from April 23, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. n24.de from March 5, 2016
- ↑ Focus article "He drives on the ceiling"
- ↑ Gumpert Apollo sets lap record AMS August 13, 2009 ( Memento of the original from August 18, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ BBC Two - Top Gear - Power Laps. In: bbc.co.uk. Retrieved February 13, 2014 .
