If you were a car enthusiast at a certain
period you may remember the Gumpert Apollo, a bonkers race car for the road
with more power and speed than any form of style or elegance. Well, the man
behind that car, former Audi Sport boss Roland Gumpert, is now heading another
eponymous sports car maker and is introducing a radical twist on the
traditional fast car formula – the Nathalie.
As is the trend these days, the Nathalie
is powered by electricity, utilising four electric motors (one for each wheel)
to develop a total output of 536 hp. With a two-speed transmission at
each corner, it will get from zero to 100 km/h in just 2.5 seconds before
reaching a top speed of 300 km/h.
But the most interesting part of the car
is how it gets that electricity. Yes, the car comes with a rather large 190 kWh
battery that you can charge, but that’s not the only source of fuel. That’s
because the Nathalie also comes with a 15 kW direct methanol fuel cell that
converts the alcohol into energy.
Specifically, the fuel cell, which
consists of an anode and a cathode, takes the methanol from a 65 litre tank and
combines it with water at the anode to create protons, electrons and carbon
dioxide. The electrons are then used to charge the battery before reaching the
cathode, where they combine with the protons and oxygen from the air to produce
water. Carbon dioxide and water are the only two emissions of this process.
What this all means is that even when the
battery is depleted, the car can still be driven at a reduced maximum speed of
120 km/h, as the methanol continues to charge the battery. All in all, Roland
Gumpert quotes a range of 820 km, with a full tank of commercially-available
methanol and a full battery charge. The company says it will even throw in a
free supply of methanol for the first year of ownership.
As for the rest of the car, it’s a fairly
standard two-door coupé, with hints of Audi A5 in the thick, boxy C-pillars and
bulging fenders. Giving the Nathalie a more aggressive look are the massive air
intakes, slim L-shaped headlights, an Audi R8-like rear end with full-width
C-shaped tail lights and a sizeable rear wing. Open up the scissor doors and
you’ll find a full FIA-approved roll cage.
