Rossen Gargolov Gumpert Apollo Sport in the super test
09.12.2011
The forearm muscles are tense, the knuckles white, and the tongue feels furry. Probably in this super test of the G umpert Apollo Sport's eyes a little bigger than usual. The mentally pre-recorded delta between what is actually possible and what is stored in the head from personal experience is more than 20 seconds. But where do you get it from? At which point leave it? How many meters later do you brake?
Anyone who has an idea of how difficult it is to get out just one, two or even three seconds on a defined route that has been driven a thousand times, knows how long 20 seconds are - one half eternity. The question asked at this moment of concentration whether it is fun to explore the limit area in a limited time window would spontaneously be answered negatively: No, with this bullet Gumpert Apollo Sport rather not.
The test expectations of the Gumpert Apollo Sport are huge
What hardly anyone suspects: The pressure in this test is great, the expectation of the test result is huge and the feeling in the stomach of the Test driver accordingly slack. Rubbish, says the inner voice only two kilometers away. Of course it's fun - and how! The body tension is noticeably lost, the pressure on the rows of teeth has disappeared and the lower lip is completely relaxed again. What is going on here in the Gumpert Apollo sport , is pure madness - thrilling like a dramatic film in the early days of Cinemascope: much too fast in the sequence of movements. The streak is accompanied by a background noise that almost sounds like a legacy of the Big Bang.
With the Gumpert Apollo Speed, the Nordschleife has become more angular
As you know it from thousands of laps, in its shape, in the course and in the topography, so It seems unknown to you in the Gumpert Apollo Sport: The Nordschleife has become more angular. The long bends have mutated into tight curves, and the jumping hills, on which normal sports cars regularly jump out of their springs until they take off, seem to have been straightened by magichis. At the end of the day, the Döttinger Höhe is so shortened that its 2.8 kilometers are no longer enough for a short breather or a sidelong glance at the ruins of the Nürburg towering above the route. 260, 270, 280 km /h - the sixth and last gear has been engaged shortly after the bridge in the exit of the gallows head. The shift lights in the Gumpert Apollo Sport flash alternately yellow and red on the undulating road during almost 7,000 tours.
The V8 in the back roars as if it were subject to torture. The acoustic thunderstorm from engine, wind and rolling noises strives towards the climax shortly before the depression behind the Antonius beech, and then abruptly changes to a much more moderate pitch with the throwing of the brake anchor. Wow! The quick left bend, one of the most striking fear curves on the Nordschleife, the one behind the bridge at the end of the long Döttinger Höhe, it is full in the Gumpert Apollo Sport: no more critical squinting of eyes, no more twitching in the accelerator, no trace of concern. Why do you do that, catapult yourself through the long bend at full throttle and then rush towards the subsequent dip? Well, because it makes sense. The tool for such escapades, the Gumpert Apollo Sport, is so far the first and only representative of the super sports genre who not only approaches racing in a formal way, but also knows how to use the relevant levers consistently.
Gumpert Apollo is subject to the dictates of aerodynamic laws
Roland Gumpert realized that horsepower above a certain numerical value becomes an end in itself because the gain no longer brings usable income, Head of Audi Sport at the time of terrific rally successes and founder of the sports car manufacturer of the same name in Altenburg, Thuringia, like no other incorporated into his conception. The silhouette of the Gumpert Apollo Sport is therefore not subject to any disguised design philosophy, but simply to the dictates of aerodynamic laws. Motto: Anyone who wants to hit the slopes with - as in this case - 700 hp and at least as much importance to lateral acceleration as to longitudinal acceleration cannot avoid bending under conditions that are common in racing. Roughly speaking, this includes a closed underbody with diffuser, a rear wing in maximum format and an extremely wide front splitter, the name of which is also explained with regard to its properties in the event of accidental curb contact.
The basic layout of the Gumpert Apollo Sport defines It is also characterized by its chassis structure, which is also widely used in racing, the substance of which is an extremely torsion-resistant carbon monocoque. The other components - drive unit and wheel suspensions - are grouped around this central element with the help of steel tubular structures. The center of thisConstructs form - if you will - the two seat shells formed directly in the carbon shell, in which the Gumpert Apollo Sport crew can find an intimate, but very reasonable place to stay with small restrictions.
The nerve center of power, which lies just above the road, can even be entered with elegant grace thanks to the wing door construction, if one has internalized the gradual sequence of entry and exit. Since the seating position in the flattering, red leather-covered shells is immovable, a clever shifting mechanism of the pedals allows limited individual adjustment to the conditions of the Apollo capsule, which is mostly lined with fine Alcantara.
The handling of this record hunter is almost self-explanatory
While head and elbow room in the Gumpert Apollo Sport is considered sufficient - even with a helmet on and with the co-pilot at your side - you have to Arrange tall commanders with their legs clearly drawn up even when the pedals are positioned deepest in the footwell. Otherwise, the crew confronts a pulpit, which also inspires confidence as a survival space due to its massive side sills, with few surprises. Apart from the fact that the analogue speedometer is difficult to read and the blue light of the chasers on the screen integrated in the radio part is only recognized when it is too late due to the panoramic optics, the handling of this record hunter is almost self-explanatory.
The towering shift stick, conveniently located next to the easily removable steering wheel of the Gumpert Apollo Sport, only knows one movement pattern: forwards or backwards. Reverse gear is engaged by pushing the lever forward while simultaneously pressing a button on the steering wheel. Gears one to six are finally activated one after the other by pulling backwards.
The fact that upshifting and downshifting in the Gumpert Apollo Sport only works when the clutch pedal is pressed at the same time is an unmistakable indication that the Italian Cima transmission is not automated, despite the sequential operation is a classic transmission variant. Only the handling has been changed here. This type of operation is not an absolutely easy finger exercise. But with something tasty in the right upper arm, the initially somewhat gnarled action turns into a satisfying arrangement - especially when a committed, body-focused approach is required in the course of strong performance tests. This also applies to the two-disc clutch from Sachs. When starting off, it requires a little more sensitivity in the foot and also more leg strength than usual, if the start in the Gumpert Apollo Sport is not to end in an abrupt standstill or, alternatively, in a rodeo-like casting maneuver.
WithNormality doesn't have much to do with the test candidate
The clutch of the Gumpert Apollo Sport is a further indication that a synthesis characterized by an extremely low power-to-weight ratio - 2.1 kilograms per hp - like these fabric softener tendencies may not necessarily be open-minded. Just what the engine installed deep behind the back can do - especially in the driver's head - has little to do with normalcy. The great, impressive hard rock acoustics and the almost explosive power increase under full boost pressure of the eight-cylinder, which is pressurized by two stately dimensioned turbochargers, seem to be out of this world in this dramatic combination - although the engine in its basic form comes from the Audi shelf . With the shortest of all possible gear ratios available, the Biturbo, which has between 650 and 800 hp, depending on the model type (Gumpert Apollo, Apollo sport, - race and - speed), not only requires a knowledgeable hand, but also a quick foot and a sure eye.
The way this engine tears at the drive shafts, it is easy for him to exhaust his coordination skills to the maximum. If it is not the wide Michelins that initially tend to go crazy when the traction control is deactivated, then seconds later it is the passenger in the Gumpert Apollo Sport who loses his clear view of things due to the dynamism that sets in. The Apollo Sport manages the sprint to 200 km /h in 9.5 seconds despite the somewhat more cautious approach to the first meters. What ultimately makes the Apollo Sport so likeable is the coolness with which it presents itself far this side of records despite the knowledge of its superior driving dynamics: Nothing jerks or wobbles. Rattles and squeaks? - Nothing.
The engine of the Gumpert Apollo Sport runs so smoothly and smoothly at low speeds, as if it couldn't cloud a little water. The rowdy manner, which one likes to assume to him due to his unmistakable external appearance, cannot be blamed on him acoustically - at least not at low engine speeds. Even a city tour from this lowest of all driving levels stands in the way of nothing essential - apart from the fact that the city's Gumpert Apollo program is applauded or at least visibly respected on almost every corner.
Entering parking spaces is admittedly one of the few processes that interrupt the stable high experienced up to then with a short-term intermediate low. But that also has its good sides when the Gumpert Apollo Sport's hinged gullwing doors open up the interior view of this extremely low, but expansive super sports car for the strolling audience.
Suitable for fast orbits and profane Transport tasks
The fact that no sidewaysThe door leaf swinging out can damage foreign paint and the learned exit from the space capsule does not require any contortions because of the remaining free space, clearly testifies to class and style. Even if the opening of the huge rear cover of the Gumpert Apollo Sport is connected because of the associated exposure of all technical intimacies, this process ultimately makes it clear that the Gumpert Apollo Sport is by no means committed to an end in itself. In addition to his work as a rider for fast orbits, he is quite ready to take on mundane transport tasks. The illuminated trunk above the V8 engine has a capacity of 100 liters - so it is only slightly smaller than the 120-liter fuel tank.
^ The individual Supertest ratings can be found in the tab above the photo. ^
