The Gumpert Apollo was the brainchild of Roland Gumpert, who in the early 2000s wanted to build a street-legal supercar that would also be ideal for use on the track. Based in Altenburg, Germany and formally founded in 2004 and the first Apollo prototypes were built shortly thereafter, with production beginning in October 2005.

At its heart was a twin-turbocharged Audi 4,163 cc V-8 engine with dry-sump lubrication. Mated to a seven-speed sequential manual gearbox, curb weight was quoted as being between 1,100 km and 1,200 kg, depending on the options equipped. Helping to keep its weight down was its tubular chromoly frame and optional carbon-fibre body panels. It’s designed helped to generate so much downforce that Gumpert claimed that the car could drive upside down in a tunnel at speed of over 300 km/h.

This specific Apollo was built in 2007 as the 20th Apollo built. A base version producing 641 bhp and finished in electric blue with an interior trimmed in grey alcantara, it was used by the company as a factory demonstrator. Initially registered on the road in Italy, the car driven by the motoring press on a handful of occasions, including by Auto magazine, for a road test in 2009. The Apollo’s various press outings greatly helped to raise public awareness of the car. Having set a 7:11.57 lap time at the Nürburgring, perhaps the Apollo’s most notable achievement was where an Apollo lapped the famed Top Gear text track in 1:17.1, setting a track record which would be held for three years.

Although the car offered here was initially sold to Italy where it was registered for road use, its road registration was later cancelled as the car was used primarily on the track during private, non-competitive events. On one such outing at Monza in March of 2013, the Gumpert experienced a failure of the right-hand rear wheel hub while exiting the parabolica corner and as a result, the driver lost control and the car crashed into the pit wall. Despite the need for repairs to be undertaken, Gumpert filed for bankruptcy and went into liquidation later that year, halting any possible repairs to the car. Three years later, the company was purchased and revived as Apollo Automobili GmbH, which then allowed the work to rebuild the car to resume.

In 2017 this work was completed and it included repairs to the right hand side of the car, namely the suspension, all related body panels, and mechanical parts. The rear support structure of the frame was also affected, and this was professionally repaired on Apollo’s GBX fame welding jig. Finally, the car was fully serviced to allow for future road and track use, and the car’s specification remained unchanged following the accident and repairs. Extensive invoices from this work totaling to €141,334.59 are on file, including a repair certificate from Apollo, certifying that the repair work was completed using genuine spare parts based and based on original repair instructions. Following advice from Cima regarding the gearbox, an additional gearbox oil cooler was added at this time. After a series of tests were completed by Apollo on the repaired car, it was deemed ready to be returned to road use.

Since the completion of the rebuild, the car has been driven roughly 1,800 km since its repairs, and now shows just under 15,800 km from new on its odometer. The car presents very well in its electric blue paintwork, beautifully offset by its white, centre-lock wheels. Inside, its alcantara interior shows very few signs of wear. A modern Pioneer stereo head unit connected to a reversing camera offers a welcome touch of practicality, making low speed maneuvers far easier.

One of the most fascinating boutique supercars built in the mid 2000’s, the Gumpert Apollo has developed a cult following due to its incredible performance and menacing looks. With limited milage driven since its repairs by Apollo, this car is essentially in as-new condition, and is ready to be driven and enjoyed. These cars seldom become available for purchase and as such, this example should not be overlooked.