Gumpert is a colloquial name for the brand knows as Apollo now. It’s a small-time German supercar producer. Despite the underwhelming small production numbers, the company earned itself some fame. The name was changed to Apollo in 2016 when the previous boss with the same name left it.
Meaning and History
In 2004, the company was started in Bavaria by one Roland Gumpert (hence the name), who lead the company for no less than 12 years before leaving for his own personal reasons. The brand was renamed ‘Apollo’, which, and that’s not as widely known, is a patron of mathematics and, by extension, engineering.
2004 – 2016
The initial version of their logo (when the company was still named Gumpert) featured a shield with the golden frame and the red space inside. The top of the shield (which, coincidentally, was also golden) bore a company name in slim pleasant and slightly curved letters.
A white griffon – the mix of a lion and an eagle – was featured inside the red space. There is no other explanation other than the manifestation of raw power and the desire of the brand to be one of the top figures in business (the creature being considered a majestic combination of ‘royal’ beasts).
2016 – now
When Mr. Gumpert left the company in 2016, they decided not to keep the name and switched to ‘Apollo’.
The shield form persisted, but it’s now black with a red-hot gradient at the bottom. The only image inside the shield was a pair of old calipers with an arch in the middle. At the same time, the instrument isn’t too detailed and also resembles the letter A.
It’s a very convenient choice for a symbol, because Apollo is a patron of artisans and mathematicians. The official explanation also states that their mission is to ‘bring light to the market’ (Apollo is a god of light).
Emblem and Symbol
The car badges were, and still are, almost the exact copies of the official company emblems. The red griffon logo is obviously much more noticeable than an almost entirely black new symbol. It doesn’t help that the newer Gumpert-Apollo cars are often black, which makes badges even more obscure.
