# Gumpert Apollo

The **Gumpert Apollo** is a German mid-engined sports car produced from 2005 by Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur, a company founded around Roland Gumpert, the former head of Audi Sport. Built to be as raw as a race car while still road homologated, it became known above all for its 7:11.57 lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife in August 2009, then a record for a road-legal car in the category Gumpert claimed.<sup>[1](https://www.autobild.de/artikel/gumpert-apollo-53056.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.ideenion.de/projekt/gumpert-apollo)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1034395_gumpert-apollo-sport-posts-7m-11-57s-nurburgring-lap-time)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur, Altenburg, Thuringia; production line sized for about 60 cars per year<sup>[4](https://www.traumautoarchiv.de/html/F1353.html)</sup> |
| Production run | Series production from 2005; output ended with the company's insolvency in 2013<sup>[5](https://www.motor-car.net/german-makes/gumpert/item/24198-gumpert-apollo)</sup> |
| Engine | Audi-sourced 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8; 700 hp in the record-setting Apollo Sport<sup>[3](https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1034395_gumpert-apollo-sport-posts-7m-11-57s-nurburgring-lap-time)</sup> |
| Nürburgring record | 7:11.57 over the 20.832 km Nordschleife on 13 August 2009, driver Florian Gruber, recorded by the German magazine Sport Auto<sup>[3](https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1034395_gumpert-apollo-sport-posts-7m-11-57s-nurburgring-lap-time)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.autotriti.gr/data/news/preview_news/92489.asp)</sup>  |
| Performance | 0–200 km/h in 8.9 seconds, top speed 360 km/h (Apollo Sport)<sup>[6](https://www.autotriti.gr/data/news/preview_news/92489.asp)</sup> |
| Later models | Apollo Enraged (Geneva 2012): 780 hp, 920 Nm, 330 km/h, 1,175 kg; Apollo R race version, 3 units<sup>[7](https://www.automobilrevue.cz/rubriky/clanky/historie/gumpert-a-apollo-klikaty-let-apolla_46504.html)</sup> |
| End of the company | Insolvency filed in 2013; brand acquired by Hong Kong investor Norman Choi and continued as Apollo Automobil<sup>[8](https://www.caradisiac.com/roland-gumpert-d-audi-sport-a-nathalie-en-passant-par-apollo-212803.htm)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a13088486/the-apollo-ie-is-a-wild-v12-wonder-weapon/)</sup>  |

## Origins

Roland Gumpert worked at Audi from the mid-1970s, on the then-revolutionary all-wheel-drive technology of the quattro era, and later led Audi's motorsport operation.<sup>[7](https://www.automobilrevue.cz/rubriky/clanky/historie/gumpert-a-apollo-klikaty-let-apolla_46504.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://la-voiture.fr/marques/gumpert/)</sup>  In 2004 he renamed the small company after himself, and in 2005 it took the name Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur and began series production of the Apollo.<sup>[8](https://www.caradisiac.com/roland-gumpert-d-audi-sport-a-nathalie-en-passant-par-apollo-212803.htm)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://la-voiture.fr/marques/gumpert/)</sup>  The project had started as GMG, and the production car differed little from the pre-series models: the gullwing doors now opened almost to the roof center, and the front splitter and rear diffuser were slightly smaller than on the prototypes.<sup>[4](https://www.traumautoarchiv.de/html/F1353.html)</sup>

The company settled in Altenburg in [Thuringia](https://www.edgepedia.org/thuringia), where it built a production line for roughly 60 cars per year. From October 2005, 45 employees in production and administration built and delivered the first cars.<sup>[4](https://www.traumautoarchiv.de/html/F1353.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[11](https://acdac.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/gumpert.pdf)</sup>  The brand mark was a white griffin on a red field, chosen to combine the speed of an eagle with the strength of a lion.<sup>[4](https://www.traumautoarchiv.de/html/F1353.html)</sup>

## Design and driving character

The Apollo was conceived as a race car with number plates. Its power came from a proven high-performance Audi V8, and the chassis was a tubular chromoly space frame, a construction its later owners would eventually abandon.<sup>[12](https://www.auto-brochures.com/makes/gumpert/Gumpert_int%20Apollo.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a13088486/the-apollo-ie-is-a-wild-v12-wonder-weapon/)</sup>  Contemporary testers described it as close to a Le Mans Series car with two plates attached for homologation.<sup>[13](https://www.autoblog.it/post/10967/gumpert-apollo-s-le-impressioni-di-guida-di-inside-line)</sup>

Driving one demanded attention. The six-speed sequential gearbox kept its clutch, though the clutch was not used on full-throttle upchanges, and the harder the tall gearlever was stabbed, the better the shift. Top Gear's 2005 review found a 650 bhp Apollo spinning its rear wheels in third gear on a dry track, and noted a price of about £190,000 alongside a front spoiler that hung two fingers above the road.<sup>[14](https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/apollo/first-drive)</sup> The same review found the ride unexpectedly compliant for a car of this type on British roads.<sup>[14](https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/apollo/first-drive)</sup>

## The Nürburgring record

On 13 August 2009 the Apollo Sport, driven by the 26-year-old Florian Gruber, covered the 20.832 km Nordschleife in 7:11.57, a time recorded independently by the German magazine Sport Auto. The car ran on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires rather than slicks, and Gumpert claimed the record for road-legal, non-mass-production cars.<sup>[3](https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1034395_gumpert-apollo-sport-posts-7m-11-57s-nurburgring-lap-time)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.autotriti.gr/data/news/preview_news/92489.asp)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[15](https://www.caradisiac.com/Gumpert-Apollo-S-la-video-a-couper-le-souffle-du-record-au-Nurburgring-34520.htm)</sup>  The lap was about three seconds faster than the previous homologated-car mark of 7:14.89 set by the Donkervoort D8 RS, and roughly ten seconds quicker than the Viper SRT-10 ACR and fifteen seconds quicker than the [Nissan GT-R](https://www.edgepedia.org/nissan-gt-r) and Porsche 911 Turbo of the time.<sup>[6](https://www.autotriti.gr/data/news/preview_news/92489.asp)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[15](https://www.caradisiac.com/Gumpert-Apollo-S-la-video-a-couper-le-souffle-du-record-au-Nurburgring-34520.htm)</sup>

The claim carried a qualification. The Radical SR8, a production but largely competition-purpose car, had lapped in 6:55 in 2005, so the Apollo's record applied to the road-car category as Gumpert framed it, not to the circuit outright.<sup>[3](https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1034395_gumpert-apollo-sport-posts-7m-11-57s-nurburgring-lap-time)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.autotriti.gr/data/news/preview_news/92489.asp)</sup>  The Apollo held its record for almost five years.<sup>[9](https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a13088486/the-apollo-ie-is-a-wild-v12-wonder-weapon/)</sup>

## Model range

The Apollo remained the company's only model line, extended through variants:<sup>[4](https://www.traumautoarchiv.de/html/F1353.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.automobilrevue.cz/rubriky/clanky/historie/gumpert-a-apollo-klikaty-let-apolla_46504.html)</sup>

- **Apollo** (2005), the original series car, joined in 2009 by the Apollo Sport, also marketed as Apollo S.<sup>[4](https://www.traumautoarchiv.de/html/F1353.html)</sup>
- **Apollo Sport package** (2007): 552 kW (750 hp).<sup>[7](https://www.automobilrevue.cz/rubriky/clanky/historie/gumpert-a-apollo-klikaty-let-apolla_46504.html)</sup>
- **Apollo Speed** (Geneva 2009): a specially prepared single car, from which the Apollo S was derived.<sup>[4](https://www.traumautoarchiv.de/html/F1353.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.automobilrevue.cz/rubriky/clanky/historie/gumpert-a-apollo-klikaty-let-apolla_46504.html)</sup>
- **Apollo Enraged** (Geneva 2012): 574 kW (780 hp), 920 Nm, 330 km/h, 1,175 kg.<sup>[7](https://www.automobilrevue.cz/rubriky/clanky/historie/gumpert-a-apollo-klikaty-let-apolla_46504.html)</sup>
- **Apollo R** (2012): a pure race version with up to 860 hp, three units built.<sup>[7](https://www.automobilrevue.cz/rubriky/clanky/historie/gumpert-a-apollo-klikaty-let-apolla_46504.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[16](https://b2bmagazine.bg/wp-content/issues/b2bmagazine/30/docs/B2B_Magazine_Tyalo_30_WEB.pdf)</sup>
- **Apollo N** (2016): a track-oriented rework of the Apollo carried out under the successor company.<sup>[7](https://www.automobilrevue.cz/rubriky/clanky/historie/gumpert-a-apollo-klikaty-let-apolla_46504.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a13088486/the-apollo-ie-is-a-wild-v12-wonder-weapon/)</sup>

A 2010 facelift was identifiable externally by new daytime running lights.<sup>[4](https://www.traumautoarchiv.de/html/F1353.html)</sup> Gumpert also entered a hybrid Apollo in the 2008 24 Hours Nürburgring, driven by 2004 winner Dirk Müller and former [Formula One](https://www.edgepedia.org/formula-one) racer [Heinz-Harald Frentzen](https://www.edgepedia.org/heinz-harald-frentzen); it combined a 3.3-liter biturbo V8 with a 100 kW (136 hp) electric motor for up to 630 hp.<sup>[11](https://acdac.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/gumpert.pdf)</sup> In 2011 the company showed the Tornante concept at the Geneva Motor Show, its first departure from the Apollo line.<sup>[10](https://la-voiture.fr/marques/gumpert/)</sup>

## Bankruptcy and afterlife

Production stopped in 2013 when the manufacturer became insolvent; a planned rescue failed when the prospective investor withdrew after a takeover price had been agreed, and Roland Gumpert filed for bankruptcy that year.<sup>[5](https://www.motor-car.net/german-makes/gumpert/item/24198-gumpert-apollo)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[17](https://la-voiture.fr/marques/apollo/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://www.caradisiac.com/roland-gumpert-d-audi-sport-a-nathalie-en-passant-par-apollo-212803.htm)</sup>  After re-engineering the Apollo N as a track car, the new company judged the original tubular space frame unsuitable for long-term development and built its Intensa Emozione hypercar around a full carbon chassis with a naturally aspirated 780 hp V12, revealed in 2017 in a run of ten cars.<sup>[9](https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a13088486/the-apollo-ie-is-a-wild-v12-wonder-weapon/)</sup> In 2025 the company announced the Apollo Evo, an 800 hp V-12 track hypercar billed as a follow-up to the Intensa Emozione and marking the 20th anniversary of Gumpert.<sup>[18](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a66051381/apollo-evo-hypercar-10-buyers/)</sup>

## References

1. [Gumpert Apollo in Serie, AUTO BILD (November 2005)](https://www.autobild.de/artikel/gumpert-apollo-53056.html)
2. [Gumpert Apollo project history, Ideenion](https://www.ideenion.de/projekt/gumpert-apollo)
3. [Gumpert Apollo Sport posts 7:11.57 Nürburgring lap time, Motor Authority (19 August 2009)](https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1034395_gumpert-apollo-sport-posts-7m-11-57s-nurburgring-lap-time)
4. [Gumpert 2005–2014, Traumauto-Archiv](https://www.traumautoarchiv.de/html/F1353.html)
5. [Gumpert Apollo (2005–2016) car history, Motor-Car.net](https://www.motor-car.net/german-makes/gumpert/item/24198-gumpert-apollo)
6. [Gumpert Apollo: new sheriff of the Ring, Autotriti (20 August 2009)](https://www.autotriti.gr/data/news/preview_news/92489.asp)
7. [Gumpert a Apollo: klikatý let Apolla, Automobil Revue](https://www.automobilrevue.cz/rubriky/clanky/historie/gumpert-a-apollo-klikaty-let-apolla_46504.html)
8. [Roland Gumpert, d'Audi Sport à Nathalie en passant par Apollo, Caradisiac](https://www.caradisiac.com/roland-gumpert-d-audi-sport-a-nathalie-en-passant-par-apollo-212803.htm)
9. [The Apollo IE Is a Wild V12 Wonder Weapon, Road & Track (25 October 2017)](https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a13088486/the-apollo-ie-is-a-wild-v12-wonder-weapon/)
10. [Histoire de la marque Gumpert, La Voiture](https://la-voiture.fr/marques/gumpert/)
11. [Gumpert press background document (2008)](https://acdac.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/gumpert.pdf)
12. [Apollo performance data brochure, Gumpert](https://www.auto-brochures.com/makes/gumpert/Gumpert_int%20Apollo.pdf)
13. [Gumpert Apollo S: le impressioni di guida di Inside Line, Autoblog.it](https://www.autoblog.it/post/10967/gumpert-apollo-s-le-impressioni-di-guida-di-inside-line)
14. [Retro review: the Gumpert Apollo, Top Gear magazine (2005)](https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/apollo/first-drive)
15. [Gumpert Apollo S: la vidéo du record au Nürburgring, Caradisiac (20 August 2009)](https://www.caradisiac.com/Gumpert-Apollo-S-la-video-a-couper-le-souffle-du-record-au-Nurburgring-34520.htm)
16. [B2B Magazine Tyalo 30 (Gumpert Apollo R, 860 hp)](https://b2bmagazine.bg/wp-content/issues/b2bmagazine/30/docs/B2B_Magazine_Tyalo_30_WEB.pdf)
17. [Histoire de la marque Apollo Automobil, La Voiture](https://la-voiture.fr/marques/apollo/)
18. [The Apollo Evo Packs an 800-HP V-12, Car and Driver (11 September 2025)](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a66051381/apollo-evo-hypercar-10-buyers/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Road transport › Automobiles › German automobile models*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license