Germany’s Gumpert is a manufacturer of some of the most capable supercars on the planet. In fact, its Apollo Sport managed to lap the Nürburgring in just 7:11.57, a time that’s second only to the barely-road-legal Radical SR8’s time in the production car stakes.  

Unfortunately, Gumpert’s cars have never had the styling to match their performance, which is one of the reasons why they’re not as popular as some of their Italian rivals.

Gumpert sought to address this issue by teaming up with Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera.

Together, Gumpert and Touring unveiled a beautiful new supercar concept called the Tornante at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The concept previewed what was to be the successor to Gumpert’s Apollo line of supercars, but unfortunately production never occurred and the car missed its 2012 scheduled debut.  

Limited access to markets outside of Germany and a lack of investment dollars meant Gumpert never had the resources to put the Tornante into production. The company was even forced to declare insolvency recently, although it looks like Gumpert’s operations are continuing for now.

This brings us to this new image, which is alleged to be a patent drawing of the production version of the Tornante. Comparing it with previous shots of the concept, subtle differences are noticeable.

There are louvered windows on the side and on the engine cover, flat exhaust tips, and a new tail-light design similar to the design used on the Lamborghini Gallardo. The headlights and front lip spoiler are also said to have been revised for production.

Sadly, given Gumpert’s current financial position, we may never see the Tornante enter production.

The original concept featured a monocoque chassis composed of a mix of steel and carbon fiber. In this sat a 4.2-liter Audi V-8 engine aided by a pair of turbochargers and matched to a sequential gearbox. Peak output was claimed to be 700 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque--a mammoth amount for the car’s 3,000-pound curb weight.

To view more of the patent drawings, head over to World Car Fans.