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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé - Italian-American with Intermeccanica dress

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Created on April 24, 2020

Reading time 5min

Written by:

Daniel Koch

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Peter Singhof/Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Vincent von Rotz

Bruno von Rotz

Gabor Mayer - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Peter Singhof/Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Vincent von Rotz

Bruno von Rotz

Gabor Mayer - Courtesy RM Sotheby's

Archiv

Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Klassische Coupé-Form

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Italienisch-amerikanische Schönheit

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Klassische Schönheit

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Italienische Karrosserie mit amerikanischer Technik

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Den kleinen Kofferraum musste sich das Gepäck mit dem Reserverad teilen

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Eine Heckklappe wie beim Jaguar E-Type war nicht vorgesehen

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Aufgeräumter Innenraum

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Sportliche Jaeger-Instrumente

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Imposante Uhrensammlung

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Die Sitze wurden als bequem gelobt

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Manuelle Viergang-Schaltung

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - 4.9 Liter V8 Motor von Buick

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Deutsches Typenschild

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Aussenliegender Tankdeckel

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Apollo 5000 GT Coupé (1965) - Carrozzeria IM - Intermeccanica

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Apollo 3500 GT - Italienisches Design mit amerikanischer Technik

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Apollo 3500 GT (1963) - elegantes Coupé aus kanadischer Fertigung

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Vetta Ventura Apollo 5000 GT (1965) - am Concours d'Elégance Schloss Bensberg Classics 2016

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Apollo 5000 GT (1967) - sieht aus wie ein Italiener, kommt aber aus den USA (Retro Classics Cologne 2017)

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Apollo 3500 GT Coupe (1963) - als Lot 179 angeboten an der RM/Sotheby's Arizona Versteigerung am 17./18. Januar 2019

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Summary

When three friends decide to build their own sports car with Italian design and American technology, and a certain Frank Reisner also has a hand in it, the result is something as extraordinary as the Apollo GT. We tell the story of this rare Italian-American and show current and historical photos.

This article contains the following chapters

Californians with ideas
US Canadian with Hungarian roots
The meeting where it all began
Problems at the beginning
Praise after detailed improvements
American technology
Engine legend
Acceleration tests
Price comparison with competitors
5000 GT version with 4.9 liter displacement

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The 1950s were known as the "Jet Age" and the whole world was excited about the jet planes that conquered the skies. The following decade became the "Space Age": in 1961, the American space agency NASA launched the Apollo program, and in 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land on the moon. The rocket that made the space flight possible was called Apollo 11. A stylized rocket also adorns the steering wheel and the front of the American Apollo sports car, which was produced from 1962 to 1965 and whose body came from the Italian manufacturer Intermeccanica. The three Californian friends Milt Brown, Ron Plescia and Ned Davis apparently had enough small change to give serious thought to producing their own sports car. They loved European car design, but apparently feared that the technology would be unreliable. The idea of combining European design with cheap and reliable technical ingredients from the USA was shared with such illustrious names as Carroll Shelby, Alejandro de Tomaso, and Giotto Bizzarrini, to name but a few.

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