First prize for a new car name goes to Gumpert for this, the Tornante. Check out how awesome it looks in capped italics: TORNANTE.
Yes! The Tornante, set for a 'surprise' world debut in Geneva, will come to market in 2012 and is designed as a more comfortable, but no less speedy, alternative to the very racing oriented Apollo. Gumpert calls it a fast tourer.
It's designed by Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera, famous for creating bespoke estate versions of the Bentley Continental GT and the Maserati Quattroporte.
Gumpert says it shares the genes of the Apollo and has 'a design adding elegance, space and comfort to a package rooted in motorsports and competition engineering'.
It uses the Apollo's drivetrain, including its 4.2-litre V8 Biturbo engine developing 700hp. An 'alternative powered' version is also planned for 2012, most likely a petrol-electric hybrid. Finally, an alternative for the Toyota Prius buyer...
Here's a nice quote from Gumpert's press release:
'While respecting aerodynamics, ground effect, engine and brakes ventilation, special attention was given to comfort and ergonomics. From two fairly different perspectives, Gumpert and Touring [Superleggera] share the philosophy to remove everything that is not essential. A typical feature is the gull-wing opening of both the doors and the wide rear hood.'
No word on cost, but if you already have a Gumpert parked outside (or are waiting for it to be rescued from a speed hump up the road) chances are you'll be calling the bank manager already. For everyone else there's Mastercard.