Back in the day, we used to get only one or two supercars every decade, or three if we were really lucky. Fast forward to today, and a new supercar is announced almost every month. As automotive technology advances, manufacturers have discovered new ways to build extremely powerful supercars with out-of-this-world designs. As a result, gearheads have a wide variety of supercars to choose from, including some that most have never even heard of.
The Apollo Intensa Emozione is one of those superb supercars not many know of. Although this car has flown under the radar since its introduction in 2019, it's definitely one of the best things to happen to the German auto industry in recent years. Let's explore ten cool facts about the Intensa Emozione (we'll refer to it as 'IE' in the article).
10 A Successor Of The Gumpert Apollo
In 2004, former Audi Sport director Roland Gumpert established a new company with the intention of building one of the fastest German cars ever. A year later, the company unveiled the Gumpert Apollo. The Apollo was extremely fast, but poor sales and other internal problems led to Gumpert's liquidation in 2013.
In 2016, a Hong Kong consortium bought the company and renamed it Apollo Automobil GmbH. The first production car built by Apollo Automobil was the IE, which started production 14 years after the Gumpert Apollo.
9 It's A Thing Of Beauty
The IE is definitely one of the best-looking cars of the last decade. This is the kind of car that always attracts attention wherever it goes, especially with its gullwing doors open. As you drive it around, you're likely to see people taking pictures and recording videos of the car, so they can show them to their friends later.
According to Apollo, the car's exterior design is based on nature, particularly insects and marine animals. For example, the front end looks like a menacing shark.
8 One Of The Most Aerodynamically Efficient Vehicles
The IE's design is not only gorgeous but also functional. Every element of its design is intended to make it as aerodynamically efficient as possible, from its teardrop shape, front splitter, vents all over the body, rear diffuser, and massive rear wing.
Although it doesn't have active aero, the IE has a huge rear wing connected to its roof via a strong "spine" to support the incredible amount of downforce the car generates.
7 German Engineering At Its Best
Although the IE is built by a fairly new automaker, it still looks, performs, and feels like a proper German supercar. It comes with technologies used in some of the most advanced modern supercars and race cars.
That's not by accident. Apollo knew that it lacked the experience and technical knowledge to take on such an ambitious project, so it partnered with HWA AG to build it. HWA is a German tuning company that has been building race cars for decades.
6 It's A Powerhouse
The IE is not just pretty; it has the power to match. The car is powered by one of the best engines ever made - a 6.3-liter Ferrari-built naturally aspirated V12 tuned by HWA and Autotecnica Motori.
The engine produces approximately 780 hp and 561 lb-ft of torque, making the Intensa Emozione one of the most powerful naturally aspirated production cars ever.
5 Extremely Lightweight
The IE weighs just 2,755 lbs, which is impressive considering it's a V12-powered car. To achieve this, the car is made almost entirely of carbon fiber, with only a few components made of high-strength steel, titanium, and aluminum.
Even when sitting inside the car, you'll see exposed carbon fiber everywhere. Since the car generates 3,000 lbs of downforce at 186 mph, it can theoretically drive upside down.
4 A Race Car For The Road
The IE may be fully road-legal in most countries, but it's more of a race car for the road. We've already mentioned that the car is built by HWA, which has a lot of experience building race cars. As such, it includes many race car elements, particularly in its body construction and aerodynamic design.
Other race-inspired elements in the car include a six-speed Hewland sequential manual transmission, Bilstein dampers, Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, and Michelin Sport Cup 2 high-performance tires.
3 A Beautiful Exhaust Note
As the IE approaches, you can easily tell that it's a supercar even before seeing it. That's because it produces one of the most beautiful exhaust notes in any car.
The car is powered by a massive V12 that redlines at an ear-busting 9,000 rpm, which means you better be wearing some ear protection when someone is revving it nearby. Most people who've heard it compare it to the sound made by Le Mans race machines.
2 It's Super Rare
As you can imagine, the IE takes a lot of time and resources to build and test. As such, Apollo announced that only ten examples would be built in 2019 at HWA's facilities in Affalterbach, Germany. This makes the IE one of the rarest European sports cars ever.
According to Apollo, each buyer will be allowed to customize their car, which means no two examples will be exactly the same.
1 Bugatti-Rivaling Price Tag
As we've seen above, there's nothing ordinary about the IE, so it's no surprise that it commands an extraordinary price tag. The vehicle's price at introduction was reportedly around $2.7 million - a price tag usually reserved for the Bugattis, Koenigseggs, and Paganis of this world.
But before you start looking for your checkbook, you should know that all ten examples of the IE have already been sold. If you want one, you'll have to wait for it to pop up on auction.