Gumpert Apollo Sport claims Nurburgring lap record for road legal cars

German manufacturer Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur is claiming a lap record for road legal cars on the world famous Nurburgring Nordschleife. Florian Gruber completed the 12.93-mile track (20.81km) in a standard factory specification Gumpert Apollo Sport equipped with road legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires and an adjustable suspension by KW suspensions in a time of 7 minutes, 11.57 seconds. That averages out at 106.78mph (171.84kmh) and is 3.32 seconds faster than the Donkervoort D8 RS06, which posted a time of 7 minutes 14.89 seconds in November 2005.

Although Gumpert is claiming the official Nurburgring lap record for road legal cars, a Radical SR8 in road legal trim has been independently timed by the German magazine Sport Auto clocking a 6 minute 55 second lap time. And sub 7-minute times could be a possibility for the Gumpert Apollo with Gruber saying he could have gone faster on his record lap and that the Apollo indeed has the potential to break the 7-minute mark.

The Sport edition Apollo adds a full racing aero package with GT wing and lower front spoilers to the standard Apollo, as well as interior touches including Alcantara trim, air-conditioning, a CD player, GPS, and reversing camera as standard.

The Gumpert Apollo Sport is listed at EUR€299,500 (approx. USD$429,700 at time of publication).

Technical specifications of the Gumpert Apollo Sport (700hp)

• Transmission: sequential six-speed gear box with synchronization and oil cooling, twin plate clutch configuration (diameter 2 x 200mm), rear-wheel drive, differential lock by Torsen
• Chassis: long and pushrod-operated double transverse control arm suspension with fully adjustable dampers front and rear and anti roll bar in front
• Brakes: two circuit Bosch-ABS brake system with six piston calipers, inside ventilated discs (378 x 32mm) all around
• Wheels and tires: Aluminum cast wheels with center lock front: 255/35 ZR19 rear: 345/35 ZR19
• Dry weight: 1,200kg (for cars with standard equipment without filling. Special equipment may increase this value)
• Allowed total weight: 1,550kg
• Length: 4,460mm
• Width: 1,998mm
• Height: 1,105mm
• Wheel base: 2,700mm
• Wheel gauge: front: 1,670mm, rear: 1,598mm
• Tank capacity: 120 liters
• Engine: V8-cylinder-Biturbomotor with 90 deg cylinder angle, light metal cylinder heads with five valves per cylinder, four overhead camshafts, hydraulic valve clearance compensation, double-flow exhaust system with three-way catalytic converter, dry sump lubrication
• Cubic capacity: 4,163cm3
• Engine performance: 515kW (700hp) at 6.500 rev/min
• Maximum torque: 875Nm at 4,000 rev/min
• Liter performance: 123.7kW/liter (168hp/liter)
• Maximum rev.: 7,200 rev/min
• Top speed: 360kmh/224mph (depending on equipment, county related specification, gear ratio and engine power)
• Acceleration figures: 0-100kmh in 3.0 secs. 0-200kmh in 8.9 secs