Though the lexicon of niche cottage industry brands using Audi engines runs deep, few have connections as authentic to the Audi brand as the Gumpert Apollo. Its founder led Audi Sport during the quattro rally era, its development brought together two former Audi engineers (one of whom still runs one of the premier Audi tuners) and its twin-turbocharged V8 was sourced from Ingolstadt. This matte-black 2008 Apollo Sport heads to Broad Arrow’s Zürich auction on November 7, offering a particularly focused interpretation of what that expertise could produce outside Audi.
FROM AUDI SPORT TO ALTENBURG
Roland Gumpert’s career at Audi encompassed engineering, motorsport and international business. As head of Audi Sport during its formative World Rally Championship years, he oversaw a program that helped establish quattro on the world stage. He later moved into sales and marketing leadership for the Volkswagen-Audi joint venture in China, working on the expansion of its dealer network. After returning to Germany in 2001, he joined MTM founder and fellow former Audi engineer Roland Mayer to develop a road-legal sports car with the priorities of a racing machine.
The resulting Apollo took shape around a chrome-molybdenum steel spaceframe and carbon-fiber passenger cell, with an Audi-derived 4.2-liter V8 mounted behind the cockpit. MTM’s work included forged internals, twin turbochargers and substantial intercooling, while a six-speed CIMA sequential transaxle delivered power to the rear wheels. The Sport specification was originally rated at 700 PS. Its composite body, gullwing doors, roof intake and large rear wing reflected the emphasis on cooling, downforce and circuit performance.
That approach delivered measurable results. An Apollo recorded a 7:11.57 Nürburgring Nordschleife lap in August 2009. Ideenion, whose predecessor HS Genion helped develop and build the early pre-series cars, identifies that performance as a benchmark that stood for more than four years before the Porsche 918 Spyder surpassed it.
THE CAR OFFERED
Broad Arrow’s example is chassis number 21, finished in its original matte black and showing 20,825 kilometers, approximately 12,940 miles. The vendor reports that subsequent tuning has increased output to an estimated 720 PS, about 710 horsepower. A major service was completed in May 2023, while CIMA rebuilt the sequential transmission and upgraded it with reinforced stub axles. Accompanying documentation includes service records, manuals and a copy of homologation papers signed by Roland Gumpert.
For an Audi brand aficionado, the appeal extends beyond the engine. The Apollo represents a separate yet significant branch of the marque’s engineering family tree. Broad Arrow estimates CHF 450,000–650,000 for the Sport, which will be offered at The Dolder Grand in Zürich on Saturday, November 7.
See the 2008 Gumpert Apollo Sport auction listing at Broad Arrow.
PHOTO GALLERY
