Monday, July 28, 2008

Gumpert Apollo takes on America, foiled by speed bump


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.
Source:autoblog