While battery power is also making its way into this segment, supercars remain among the purest machines when it comes to the good old gasoline-fueled velocity thrills. In fact, this stratospheric side of the market is perhaps more effervescent than ever. And since the booming rendering realm now allows new proposals to show up more often than in the past, what sets this one apart? Well, for one, this isn’t some promise of a production model that would have enthusiasts questioning its real-world potential. Instead, we’re feasting our eyes on what is purely a styling exercise from Jowyn Wong, a designer for De Tomaso Automobili and Apollo Automobil.
The designer fully embraced the digital revolution, immersing himself in virtual reality to come up with this proposal. Even so, he had his mind focused on late 1960s prototype racers when creating the piece, which led to the stunning styling cues currently resting on our screens. However, before we dive into this digital project, let’s take a few moments to discuss Apollo and De Tomaso, the carmakers that host the enthusiast’s real-life designs.
De Tomaso and Apollo
The two established names might be owned by the same London-based company (Ideal Team Ventures Limited), but they come from very different backgrounds.
Founded by Argentinian race car driver Alejandro de Tomaso back in 1959, De Tomaso Automobili is headquartered in Italy. The company, which used to own Maserati, currently offers the P72, which bets on a sculpture-like design with heavy retro influences, while using a supercharged 5.0L Ford Coyote V8. Set to enter production next year, the machine is an ode to the De Tomaso P70, the late 1960s race car styled by Pete Brock and built by Caroll Shelby.
Speaking of which, De Tomaso has recently teased a Le Mans entry via a P72 prototype on Instagram, even though the full announcement, which was scheduled for July 1st, 2022, has yet to surface.
Apollo, on the other hand, is a more recent venture. Having been created by the now-departed Roland Gumpert in 2004, the German-based company’s most recent effort (with a street presence) is the futuristic, complex-looking Intensa Emozione (IE), which is powered by a N/A V12 and kept on the road with the help of a tilting rear wing.
And Jowyn Wong designed both the said masterpieces, while his recent work also includes the Masien released in 2021. This Porsche 959 Dakar tribute is a 911 Turbo S redefined by German specialist Marc Philipp Gemballa.
The designer relied on virtual reality to brew “his own” supercar
Returning to this concept, the aficionado came up with the design using Gravity Sketch, a piece of software that requires a virtual reality headset.
And while you can’t see the VR base in these renderings, the old-school racing icons that served as his muses are easier to spot. We’re talking about machines that actually battled in endurance racing over five decades ago. These would be the legendary Porsche 917, Lola T70 and the Ferrari 512 S.
Now, in case you’ve ever wondered what a halfway point between the two production supercars mentioned above would be, you’re looking at it. In fact, the artist talks about “crazy highly expressive surfaces like the Apollo IE, to highly sensual volume and curves like the De Tomaso,” when describing the design experience.
In his multi-day exercise, Jowyn also penned the interior of the go-fast machine. This is a wonderfully analog environment in both layout (retro-inspired minimalism) and materials. The wood-covered cocoon also throws a bit of carbon into the mix. The cabin is dominated by the steering wheel and the manual transmission’s shifter, while details like the dials are a joy to behold.
And yes, we too are imagining that the pedal on the left is linked to a V12—hey, this is even mentioned in the hashtags of the posts showcasing the creation.
