How’s this for an enthusiast’s track car? It’s called the Intensa Emozione, and it’s built by Apollo Automobil, formerly Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur.
A little company history, before we get to Apollo Automobil’s newest bit of over-the-top. Notable 2000s German supercar startup Gumpert introduced the Apollo in 2005, and had plans for another model, the Tornante, but the company went bust before production of the second model could begin. In early 2016, a Hong Kong investment group injected the company with the funds needed to carry on with its most recent design. Apollo Automobil was born, and presented the Arrow later that year.
Apollo Automobil called the Arrow a hypercar when it was unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show, and no one argued with them. The Arrow’s lines—F1 inspired but still uniquely individual—suggest obsession, and other performance numbers included 0-60 in less than three seconds. The Arrow turned heads with its freely expressive design and its top speed, which was purported to be 224 MPH.
Roland Gumpert’s original vision was to present the world with a street-legal track car, but he’s no longer with the company, and Apollo Automobil’s latest design effort is the track-only Intensa Emozione, a purist racer with manic overtones. It’s far more dramatic looking than the Arrow, and it makes the original Apollo model look pretty staid, but, then, it’s intense. You could call it operatic, if you were so inclined, and the adjective would fit nicely.
Driving the IE should be as cathartic as a seeing a good production of La Forza del Destino, too. The car packs a naturally-aspirated 6.3L V12 and a six-speed manual, a very different powertrain from the Arrow’s bi-turbo V8 and seven-speed auto. It produces 769 horsepower, but extensive use of carbon fiber leaves it very light, boasting a curb weight of a little more than 2,750 pounds. That ratio allows the IE to hit 62 in a scorching 2.7 seconds, and a top speed of 208 MPH, according to the company.
Only 10 Intensa Emozione examples will be built by Apollo Automobil. The price? $2.7 million.
