Gumpert teases supercar ahead of 2012 Geneva debut

The mysterious Gumpert prototype was taken on its first test drive at Altenburg airport in central Germany. Gumpert has released few details about the car, which it likens to a bolide (a missile or fireball), although it described the sound of its engine as “unmistakeable”.

The car maker says it will continue testing the prototype up until it is unveiled in Geneva on March 8.

The low-resolution image has sparked vigorous debate in the automotive world. Some believe the new vehicle will be a higher performance version of the 360km/h Gumpert Apollo, while others say it’s an all-new model to replace the Apollo, which has been on sale since 2005. There are enough similarities in the vehicle’s silhouette to suggest the former is perhaps the most likely scenario.

Next year’s show will mark consecutive unveilings for Gumpert at Geneva, with the Tornante by Touring design concept taking centre stage earlier this year. At the time, Gumpert said the sophisticated Tornante coupe would expand the model range in 2012, although the Germans have gone quiet on the concept recently.

The Gumpert Apollo is available with three different engine tunes – Base, Sport and Race – with power ranging from 478kW to 588kW. It can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.0 seconds and hit 200km/h from rest in 8.9 seconds.

What do you think Gumpert is working on? Let us know in the comments section below.