„PASSION AND KNOW HOW“

Roland Gumpert, managing director and the driving force behind Sportwagenmanufaktur, has created a manufacturing environment that combines engineering excellence with wide-ranging automotive and racing competence. Experts within the motor sport sector are all familiar with the name Gumpert: In the mid 1970s, the long-standing AUDI manager was the driving force behind the development of the four-wheel drive vehicle “Iltis”, the original predecessor of today's “Quattro”. In 1979 he prepared an “Iltis” for the Paris-Dakar rally and achieved victory. In the following years under his management, AUDI Sport won a total of 25 World Rally Championship races and was the 4-time winner of the World Rally Championship. Gumpert's professional success has been marked by his ability to effectively and successfully combine innovative ideas and proven technology with a future-oriented attitude and a lot of passion. The manufacturing process benefits from his years of experience in motor sports which is why success on the race track is a natural and clearly defined goal for our vehicles.

A team of automotive and motor sports specialists joined forces to pool their enthusiasm and energy into developing and creating the apollo. Cooperation with external partners such as ATS, Bosch, Eibach, HS Genion, KW Suspensions, Pirelli, TRW, the Technical University of Munich, and the Ingolstadt Polytechnic, among others, is an integral part of the 'manufacture' philosophy. To be able to produce a top quality product, each and every step of the development and production process needs to be planned and executed by experts of the respective specialist areas.

Furthermore, apart from the technology, the organisational environment is also important: Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur is an independent, privately financed, company. In May 2005, the financial stability of the company was secured by two private investors whose operative commitment will also promote the international sales and distribution of the apollo.

 The beginning – from the idea to the first model

In 2001 there was a vision of a new super sports car: A car, which combined the highest dynamics with unmatched driving capabilities. It was supposed to be a street-legal car and ready for racing it on the track as well. Last but not least, Mr. Gumpert wanted it to offer the best value for money you could get among the super sports cars.

Starting from there, the technical parameters to be met were defined and the first designs of the car were drawn by Marco Vanetta. At the end of this process the first 1:4 scale model of the car was produced in 2002 – apollo was born.

From the model to pre-production

To develop a model into a real car is a long way to go and a lot of experience and even more know-how are needed to be successful in the end. So about three years ago Roland Gumpert took over the project management. Coming from AUDI, Roland Gumpert has a long and impressive track record in car development and motor sport. The Quattros from Ingolstadt won 25 races in the World Rallye Championship and 4 World Rallye Championship Titles with him leading the AUDI Sport department.

The GMG Sportwagenmanufaktur Altenburg GmbH was founded and Gumpert pressed ahead with the development of the apollo. With Uwe Bleck, former manager of the department Vehicle Dynamics, Simulation, Wheels and Tires at AUDI, another acknowledged specialist with a sound know-how in automotive development joined the Sportwagenmanufaktur. In close cooperation with the Technical University in Munich and the University of Applied Sciences in Ingolstadt constructional work, computer simulations, and finally wind tunnel tests were done. All research and development activities formed the basis for a first 1:1 scale model and finally the two pre-production apollo. 2002 - 2005

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