What is it?

Apollo Speed? Didn't he fight Rocky? Anyway, it seems German low volume, high intensity maker Gumpert thought the standard Apollo was a little too mundane - that's the Top Gear test track record holder, by the way - and decided to build a more deliciously terrifying version.

Why's it here?

Presumably Gumpert foresaw that Geneva would feature a stupendous assemblage of brutal exotica and thought 'ooh, we'll go along and kick sand in their weak, under-engineered faces.' So the maker has taken an Apollo, lowered the ride height and fettled the aerodynamics to make its car capable of 0-62mph in 3.0 seconds and 0-124mph in 8.9. That's about the time it took to read that last sentence (if you read it properly). They're the times for the 690bhp version - there's a 789bhp one too! Crikey. There's also a 641bhp 'starter' model if you're a complete wuss. All are powered by twin-turbo V8s and weigh about 1,200kg, which explains the astonishing performance.

Show stopper or floor filler?

Are you joking? Some fast cars make you weep with their beauty; some are just outrageous; this one's just so focussed on the issue of going extremely fast that it's terrifying. Incredible.

Mark Nichol - 5 Mar 2009