20 years ago, the Gumpert Apollo caused a sensation. This uncompromising German sports car broke records on the Nordschleife and looked more like a Le Mans prototype with a license plate than a classic road car. Two decades later, the brand is celebrating this anniversary with a car that looks hardly less radical.
At this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Bavarians presented the production version of the Apollo EVO for the first time. The first customer vehicle is called the "Caribbean Dragon", is one of only ten planned, and continues to rely on something that today seems almost more exotic than a carbon body: a naturally aspirated V12 engine.
The EVO is the successor to the uncompromising Apollo Intensa Emozione and remains true to its philosophy. Road registration is irrelevant here, and comfort plays only a secondary role. Instead, the Apollo focuses on the lowest possible weight, maximum aerodynamics and the most direct driving experience possible.
The heart of this hypercar is a 6,3-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine with 800 hp and 765 Nm of torque. The power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a sequential six-speed gearbox. Together with a dry weight of just 1.300 kilograms, this is enough for acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 2,7 seconds and a top speed of 335 km/h.
The basis is a newly developed carbon monocoque. Weighing just 165 kilograms, this structure is said to be 15 percent stiffer and 10 percent lighter than that of the Apollo Intensa Emozione. This is complemented by carbon subframes at the front and rear and special carbon safety structures.
Visually, it's also clear that restraint wasn't part of the technical requirements for the first production EVO. With its wings, air ducts and carbon surfaces, it doesn't look like a car designed by engineers. More like one of those completely exaggerated toy cars that kids at the supermarket checkout line desperately want. Except that this one develops 800 hp and actually exists.
The so-called “Caribbean Dragon” consists of more than 75 individual carbon parts. The paint job alone reportedly took more than 1.000 hours to complete. According to Apollo, a total of eight layers of paint ensure a particularly deep effect. The appearance is dominated by white and blue hues, which give the vehicle an almost sculptural character.
Accordingly, the first customer vehicle will be equipped with a special “Dragon Skin” exhaust system. It is made of titanium using a 3D printing process and has no classic welds. Due to the high temperatures on the racetrack, its surface changes over time and gradually takes on blue hues.
The Apollo also relies on visible carbon and cut aluminum components in the cockpit. The design is clearly geared towards motorsport. The carbon monocoque is deliberately visible. This is complemented by custom-made sports seats and a specially designed steering wheel. The focus here is not on luxury, but on the feeling of sitting in a visually extremely spectacular racing car.
It's no coincidence that Apollo unveiled the EVO at Goodwood alongside the original Gumpert Apollo and Intensa Emozione. So now three generations of the brand, which has always been more concerned with lap times than intelligence, are presented side by side.
The EVO impressively demonstrates that Apollo will still be going its own way in 2026. While many hypercars today rely on hybrid technology, additional electric power and increasingly complex electronics, the EVO remains committed to engine displacement, low weight and as few intermediaries as possible between car and driver.
A naturally aspirated V12 engine, 800 hp, a weight of 1.300 kilograms and a series of only ten units – in 2026, nothing could be more unreasonable. And that's exactly why the Apollo EVO seems almost like an extinct species today.
