Gumpert Apollo hybrid race car details

Posted Sun May 18 2008 7:51 AM by Ralph Hanson

Running alongside all the high-performance race cars from major carmakers like Toyota, Volkswagen and GM at next weekend’s 36th ADAC Zürich 24-hour race at the Nurburgring will be an odd-looking supercar from Germany’s SportwagenManufaktur powered by a unique petrol-electric hybrid powertrain. The car is the Gumpert Apollo supercar and it will contest this year’s endurance challenge with former F1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Dirk Muller taking turns behind the wheel.

Power comes from a unique hybrid drivetrain featuring a 3.3L twin-turbo petrol V8 mated to a 100kW electric motor. The combined output of the drivetrain is a healthy 630hp.

The standard Apollo features an Audi-sourced 650hp twin-turbo 4.2L V8, tubular Chromoly frame and a six-speed sequential gearbox. This allows it to accelerate from 0-62mph in a flat 3 seconds and reach a top speed of 224mph.

Competing in the same class as the Apollo will be an Audi R8 plus a pre-production race version of the upcoming Lexus LF-A.

Gallery: Gumpert Apollo supercar

Reader Comments

Mon May 19 2008 7:28 AM
Burke says

A good lesson for those who thought that a hybrid powertrain would compromise performance...

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