The latest iteration of the ApolloN has been unveiled at the Geneva motor show, signalling the return of the Apollo name for the first time since German niche car maker Gumpert was bought by Chinese investor group Ideal TeamVenture earlier this year.
The new ApolloN is a spiritual successor to the original Gumpert Apollo, which entered production in 2005. Apollo Automobil showed two cars at Geneva - one an evolution of the original Apollo, and one an all-new supercar called the Arrow which shares the Apollo's platform.
Ideal TeamVenture bought the Gumpert brand in January and promptly renamed the company to Apollo Automobil. The Chinese group also acquired the rights to the De Tomaso brand in April last year, in a deal worth just over one million Euros (around £783,000). It’s understood that the investment group wants to manufacture cars for China under the De Tomaso brand.
Following slow sales, Gumpert filed for insolvency in 2012, but was seeking investment to fund its entry into the lucrative Chinese market. The firm's last hurrah came with the Apollo S, which made its debut at the Geneva motor show in 2013. It featured an Audi-sourced 4.2-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, available in 591bhp, 690bhp and 790bhp forms. In 690bhp guise, the Apollo S is claimed to reach 62mph in 3.0sec, 124mph in 8.9sec and has a top speed of 224mph.
Gumpert declared bankruptcy in August 2013. Ideal TeamVentures was incorporated in July of last year, with Chinese businessman Sung Fung Choi listed as the company’s main director.
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