Showing posts with label Gumpert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gumpert. Show all posts

Saturday, March 12, 2011

2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring

2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring
Gumpert Tornante by Touring has made a world public debut in 2011 Geneva Motor Show. TOÚRING SÚPERLEGGERA provided the design and body engineering while Gumpert will take care of manufacturing and sales of the next model, complementing the Gumpert range as of 2012. The 2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring, which aims to follow on the ‘rubberprints’ left behind by the Gumpert Apollo, has been built by the German supercar manufacturer Gumpert, together with Italian coachbuilders Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera.
2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring
The vehicle on display features a 690 hp biturbo V8 engine that is projected to propel the car well over the 300 km/h (186 mph) mark. What is really interesting, is that the unit is expected to be further refined in order to power a Fast Touring model. Also, Gumpert has mentioned the possibility of developing an alternative-powered Tornante sometime next year.
2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring
The Gumpert Tornante by Touring powered by V8 cylinder biturbo engine with 90° cylinder angle, closed-deck light metal crankcase, light metal cylinder heads with five valves per cylinder, four overhead camshafts, variable time of ignition (Vario Cam direct) on the intake, hydraulic valve clearance compensation, dry sump lubrication, double-flow exhaust system with 3-way catalytic converter, four Lambda probes for gas mixture and diagnostics, on-board diagnostic system, two Intercoolers, electronic ignition with a rested ignition distribution (eight ignition coils), sequential multipoint fuel injection, electronic accelerator system (drive-by-wire)
The 2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring's V8 is expected to be tuned even further for a Fast Touring model. The lightweight engine comes in at a scant 196 kg (432 lbs), and is mated to a six-speed TT40e semi-automatic gear box that may be controlled with paddle shifters.  The two-seater will ride on aluminum or forged 19-inch wheels up front, and 20-inch wheels in back, all center locking, and wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.
2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring by Touring features 2-seater sports car with a mid-engine arrangement, chrome-molybdenum steel chassis with an integrated safety cell, doors and the boot lid open with gull-wings, carbon body, 100 l stainless steel tank behind the passenger cell with integrated catch tank, long and pushrod-operated double transverse control arm suspension with fully adjustable dampers (front and rear) and anti roll bar in front, ground clearance adjustable between 60 and 140 mm, two circuit ABS brake system with six piston callipers, inside ventilated discs (378 x 32 mm) at front and rear.
The TOÚRING accent of the Gumpert Tornante originates from specific proportions and the balance of muscular elegance and introvert power, rather than formal language. The bodywork preserves its movement even when the 2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring stands still, and when on the move, it expresses unique, elegant fluidness. The prominent grille within the balanced front wings characterizes the Gumpert Tornante's front area. The air intakes are pronounced, reflecting the care given to the air intake surface and the overall airflow.
2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring
Made of top-quality and highly stable chrome-molybdenum-steel with an integrated safety cell, the round tube frame is the base and symbolic backbone of the 2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring. Providing additional space and comfort for its passengers compared to the apollo, the Tornante will be as safe as its racetrack-dedicated brother is. The Tornante succeeds in combining low weight and rigidity with finest driving dynamics and comfortable Fast Touring.
2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring
“The new model should not only offer ample performance and superb dynamic properties and aerodynamics, but also adequate levels of comfort, interior space and ergonomics. The spirit of a true dream car, but with sufficient practical features to become a safe and useable sports car in today's traffic,” Gumpert emphasizes.
2011 Gumpert Sport Cars Tornante by Touring

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Gumpert Apollo

Gumpert Apollo

Food, women, sports and cars… there you have it, the inner workings of every single man on the planet Earth. We’re simple creatures that don’t take a lot of figuring out. In fact if you present us with a combination of any of those four things together then we’ll pretty much do whatever you want. It really is that simple. Take this past Sunday for example, my buddy called me up and asked if I wanted to go up to Monticello Motor Club and take a spin and test out one of the wildest cars in existence. It weighs just 2400 lbs, puts out 700 hp, will run 0-60 in 3 seconds flat and tops out at a staggering 224 mph. Oh… and it also cost $750,000.00. The car I speak of is none other than the Gumpert Apollo.

Gumpert Apollo

I am not going to bore you with lots of details on suspension, or the fact that it’s twin-turbo charged, or that it’s one of the rarest and fastest cars on the road today. For that you can just visit Gumpert’s Website. What I am going to tell you is what it’s like to drive a car that very few people get the privilege of driving. The Gumpert Apollo looks like nothing else on the road and is one of those rare cars that tries to ride the line between full-on race car and road going super car. Laying eyes on the Gumpert in person is a real treat as you’re treated to a car that was no doubt purpose built to go very fast. Its body lines are not graceful, its cabin is not comfortable and it’s engine is not for the faint of heart. What the Gumpert Apollo is, is a car for those who have one hell of a big check book and the desire to drive one of the best performing automobiles ever built.

Gumpert Apollo

If you are one of those rare individuals with a Fort Knox bank account and are considering the Gumpert Apollo as a street car then you can forget it, as that is not what this car was meant to be. Sure you can drive it on the road, but at the end of the day, why would you want to? Driving the Gumpert on the open road is like using a tactical nuke for skeet shooting… it’s just overkill. The Gumpert belongs on the racetrack, it’s where it was developed and it’s where it should be.

Gumpert Apollo

When I first got to the track I just sat back and admired the car and then began to wonder how I was going to wedge my big ass in there. You see unless you’re 5′ 10′ or shorter, you WILL NOT be comfortable in this thing. I literally had to turn myself into a yoga master to get into this thing and even when wedged in there I was so scrunched up that I could barely move. The seats have no adjustments whatsoever so if you think you can make a tweak here and a tweak there, well then you’d be dead wrong. It does have adjustable pedals and telescoping steering wheel though, so that helped a little.

Gumpert Apollo

The cabin is fitted with bare essentials like A/C, power windows and stereo that you can’t reach. The gearbox is a sequential manual unit and truth be told, is a heck of a lot of fun when used properly. The Gumpert was started and then left to sit idling for about 15 minutes to bring everything up to operating temperature and once that was achieved it was time to get in and go. The first thing that everyone should know about this car is that it is NOT for beginners. Being so light and so powerful one has to be really careful about how they drive this thing as it’s not for the faint of heart.

Gumpert Apollo

As I rolled out of the paddock and onto pit lane I noticed that the clutch was surprisingly easy but you need to really modulate the throttle to get the car underway smoothly. While sitting at the track entrance I notice that visibility is not this car strong suit, in fact it’s pretty terrible all around. Honestly though, who really cares because with this much power you’ll most likely be ahead of everybody anyway.

Gumpert Apollo

The Gumpert is a loud car, but in no way obtrusive. The noise it makes fits the persona of the car and the speeds at which it’s capable of traveling… in short, I loved it. Press down on the throttle, wait for those big turbo’s to spool up and you’re gone, it’s that simple. Acceleration is blisteringly fast, so much so that the only thing you should be concerned with are the brake markers ahead of you and the speed at which you are approaching them. Brakes are massive 380mm discs with six-pot calipers that pull this thing to a halt in no time flat. The ride is very stiff and just reaffirmed my thought that this is not a street car, but a race car that you can drive on the street if necessary.

Gumpert Apollo

Steering inputs on the Gumpert are lightening quick as well so you really need to be on your game when driving this car. Get even the slightest bit aggressive with this thing and bad things can happen. I know this because I spun this sucker heading into a nice off-camber right. I’ll tell you something… when you’re sliding backwards in a $750,000 super car you tend to reevaluate your net-worth. My thought though is fuck it, you only live once and if you’re going to loop a car it minus well be a Gumpert Apollo.

Gumpert Apollo

I pulled the car back into the paddock, unwedged myself from the cockpit and began to really evaluate the car. The Gumpert Apollo is a lifestyle car, it’s a car for the man or woman who has everything but still wants more. The key however is, will customers who purchase this car actually use it for its intended purpose or will it simply be a conversation piece for others to admire, my bet is the latter. Competition wise the Gumpert Apollo falls in with a pretty good crowd. Bugatti Veyron, SSC Ultimate Aero, Pagani Zonda and Koenigsegg CCX are just a few of its competitors. When all is said and done though, you will REALLY need to like this car in order to plunk down all that cash for it. Lets face it, unless you’re racing in some sort of amateur racing series, or expert road race event, at days end you can have just as much fun in a car that costs over 95% less.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Gumpert Apollo takes on America, foiled by speed bump

Gumpert Apollo

The first Gumpert Apollo on American soil was brought out for its big debut Saturday, only to make more of an impression than intended. That impression was not only left on showgoers, but also on the speed bump leading into the parking lot. With roughly 4 millimeters of ground clearance it was easy to see this coming. The driver had brought the car from the sole U.S. distributor to show it off at a weekend cruise. He somehow failed to recognize that the speed bump was in fact approximately half the height of the low-slung supercar and after inexplicably getting the front air dam over the hump, found himself stuck.

The car came down and gently ground to a halt. It teetered a bit as it crept along the driveway, producing a grinding noise that had all of the witnesses cringing. As the carbon undertray was polished along its midsection, it became apparent that the rear tires might not make it over too. The driver stopped as the rears lifted just enough to take away traction. After a few moments of contemplation, he had the passenger get out and the lower payload gave the suspension just the right amount of lift to get the job done. Afterwards, there was much rejoicing in supercarland. A follow-up note from the dealer told us that there was thankfully no damage to the car from this incident. We recommend that anyone considering buying one of these 2400 lb, 750 hp monsters consider waiting for the "softer" model the company has pitched. Hopefully it will have an adjustable suspension.