Apollo, the supercar startup born from the ashes of Gumpert, is finally ready to build its first car: the Intensa Emozione. The company announced Tuesday that it has partnered with HWA to build the supercar and also detailed some major changes since 2017’s reveal.
We previously reported the company planned to build just 10 cars, and that figure appears unchanged per the Tuesday announcement. The car, in general, has been developed with HWA and Capricorn Group. The former helped build the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR; the latter produced monocoques and chassis for race cars such as the Porsche 919 Hybrid. It appears Apollo has some very good friends involved with their IE.
The company is incredibly proud of its bespoke carbon fiber chassis, which has been completely overhauled when compared to the design in the original prototype.
“We made a prudent and strategic long-term decision to discard our original carbon chassis to make certain that we adhered to the highest safety standards that are at the cutting edge of technology and would permit use in future applications, leaving the door open for potential competition participation,” Ryan Berris, Apollo General Manager and CMO, said. Indeed, the company is highly interested in the World Endurance Championship’s new Hypercar class and awaits more information on regulations.
Production Apollo IE chassis
The carbon fiber chassis not only integrates the passenger tub, but also the subframes and crash structures. It also meets and partially exceeds requirements for FIA LMP2-class safety regulations with the inclusion of a carbon mono-cell structure. Translation: there’s no need for a roll cage. Not only does it delete the need for a roll cage, it increases structural rigidity and weighs less than the IE prototype.
Additional improvements were made to the aero and cooling systems, while the suspension system also got a complete overhaul, according to the company. It was light on details about the new suspension but said the system boasts improved kinematics and weight balance.
The Apollo Intensa Emozione
The IE also features a fire suppressant system that the driver can engage to put out fires in the cabin and engine bay.
Speaking of the engine, Apollo did not confirm final specs for the powerplant. However, the company expected to use a 6.3-liter V-12 engine with around 1,000 horsepower and a wild compression ratio of 16.5:1.
The Apollo Intensa Emozione
We’ll know even more about the Apollo IE, and see photos of the production car, when the first customer receives his or her car this summer.
Each car reportedly costs $2.7 million, and yes, they’re all sold.
