I Drove The Apollo IE Hypercar—And It's Every Bit As Wild As It Looks

Every year, a brace of super-exclusive, limited-run super / hyper / mega / whatever cars are released. They usually have a wealthy benefactor’s surname on the nose and promise to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Then, after great fanfare and the news that ‘only five will be built for the most discerning customers,’ you never hear from them again.

In 2017, Apollo appeared—and eyebrows shot skyward. Its IE hypercar was going to cost over a million dollars, it promised V12 power that would humble… everything, and there would only ever be ten. Apollo toured it all over the world; it was going to be the greatest thing ever, the start of something new. And then it sort of vanished. Until now.

But to understand how we got here, a quick history lesson on Apollo.

From Ashes To Apollo

Photo by: Apollo

The Apollo IE was a continuation, of sorts, of the Gumpert Apollo—the bonkers German hypercar that grew to fame, in parts, thanks to its legendary Top Gear lap. Gumpert went out of business in 2012, and it was purchased and retooled post-bankruptcy.

The IE, then—a pointy, angry-looking hypercar—would be a fresh take on the GT1 cars that lit up Le Mans and the like back in the day. And the original concept looked awesome. Unlike the former Apollo, though, it wouldn’t be handbuilt by a spanner-wielding billionaire with good intentions and the funds to set up a factory.

Photos by: Apollo

Photos by: Apollo

Instead, Apollo brought in real, actual people who actually know how to build cars that go fast and don’t go bang (with proper funding). So, the best people were sought, given the freedom to do what they do best, and told to get on with it.

The ten cars were built, quietly sent off to customers, and somewhere along the way, the company changed hands again. Bar a few appearances on influencer channels, the IE’s been a mythical beast only spotted by the luckiest few since, and as Apollo readies itself to let loose a hardcore Apollo EVO into the world, the company’s shown off what its forebear is like to drive.

TL;DR: It’s awesome. And silly. And wonderful.

Dramatic, Inside And Out

Photo by: Apollo

A feast of carbon fiber, angles, and cutting-edge tech, the IE looks like something you'd idly doodle in the back of a notebook. Designed by Brit Jowyn Wong, it's a dramatic sculpture of a thing.

Your eye is drawn all over by its dramatic angles and aggressive details. You’re kept so busy that finding a favorite bit is the work of days, not moments. Its huge, fixed wing (inspired by motorsport) promises downforce aplenty and visual stimulation, while its massive cooling ducts behind the doors keep the engine cool and your brain fizzing with excitement. The points on its nose grab your attention at every glance—it’s a spaceship with a key.

A feast of carbon fiber, angles, and cutting-edge tech, the IE looks like something you'd idly doodle in the back of a notebook

Getting in, you clamber through its winged doors into a cabin that’s similarly full of eye-catching details. You sit on the IE’s carbon tub rather than a traditional seat—owners are scanned to perfect hip / butt sizing—and adjust the wheel and pedals to suit your driving position. You essentially lie down in the thing, like a Formula 1 car, only in here there’s air conditioning, stunning materials, and a bright speedometer.

The environment wouldn’t be considered out of place in a Star Wars flick—though it’s more Canto Bight than Cantina.

V12: Engaged

Photo by: Apollo

Slip the key into a hidden slot in the center stack, and your eye darts to the big ‘ol start button / flap mounted in the IE’s ceiling. Once prodded, and leaving you feeling suitably like a fighter pilot, the 6.3-liter V12 fires to life and the entire car buzzes—almost as if it’s excited to be moving.

The IE has a six-speed sequential gearbox, so you need to dip the clutch for reverse, neutral, and first. On first acquaintance, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by it. Less exclusive, or more… mainstream cars make life easy for the owners—sit in, press button, go. But here, the start-up procedure takes a beat or two.

Once the car’s ready, you pop your foot on the clutch, pull the paddle to get the car into first, and gently lift the pedal to get going. It’s easy to stall. Well, it’s easy to stall if you’re excited and the people who run the company (as well as the company’s test driver) are all watching, nervously, as a stranger excitedly stabs at the controls of a very expensive hypercar in front of them. After a few bites of the cherry, though, all was well with the world.

The 6.3-liter V12 fires to life and the entire car buzzes—almost as if it's excited to be moving.

Once first is dealt with, the clutch can be left well alone unless you’re planning on doing any three-point turns. Once you’re moving, the first thing that gets you is how light it feels. The official curb weight is 3,086 pounds, just a shade under Lotus’ official curb weight for the Emira.

A gentle glance at the gas pedal causes the car to glide forward with incredible speed. There are no turbos, no superchargers, no hybrid bits in there; it’s all N/A all the time, so acceleration is linear and so, so smooth.

Smoothness, however, can merge with violence. Apollo says the IE will get from 0-62 miles per hour in 2.7 seconds, which is quick by any measure of the word. And putting your foot down is an event. The V12 screams, you’re pinned into the bulkhead, and the car vibrates in time with the engine while the speedo’s digital readout adds numbers at an alarming rate.

Apollo wanted to make a GT1 car, and it certainly feels like it when you’re giving it a shoeing. Throttle response is instant and gratifying, much like you find in race cars. Each time you pull the paddles to change gear, you feel a pleasing ‘thunk’ as cogs are swapped. It’s something that less purposeful cars engineer in to make drivers think they’re doing something special, but here it’s just how the car… is.

Photos by: Apollo

Photos by: Apollo

With its engine in the middle, naff all weight, and people who actually know what they’re doing behind the development, the IE steers so, so sweetly. The wheel isn’t heavy, nor is it too light. It’s just tactile and feeds the surface of the road to you pleasingly. It’s as direct as they come.

Bringing it back to Lotus for a moment—it makes the IE feel like a giant, immensely powerful Elise. Lightweight, incredible steering, and engagement are at the fore. Placing it on the road is easy, too, because although you’re low to the ground, the front wheel arches sit just within your eyeline. You know where the front is, so you can point ‘n squirt to your heart’s content without worrying about being in the wrong place.

Thankfully, a set of whacking great AP racing brakes means you can scrub off speed when you need to. The stopping power, like the rest of the car, is immense.

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Source: Apollo

Well Worth The Wait

It’s been nine years since the Apollo IE burst onto the scene. That’s a long time to learn, properly, that it’s not only a real thing, but that the hype the company was trying to build at the time was, in fact, legit and not breathless bluster to try and excite social media.

The IE was worth the wait. Thing is, if the IE’s this good, how on earth will it be bettered with the Apollo EVO? It’ll be fun finding out.

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