BF Exclusive: Rare 1963 Apollo 5000 GT
UPDATE – The seller has decided to lower their asking price!
For a truly cosmopolitan approach to automobile manufacturing, look no further than the ultra-rare Apollo. The brainchild of Californian Milt Brown, the Apollo was conceived in 1961 when Brown initiated a conversation with Frank Reisner while both were working at the Monaco Grand Prix. Reisner was a Hungarian raised in Canada and the founder of an automaker called Intermeccanica in Italy (five countries so far!) and he was suitably receptive to Brown’s vision of an American grand touring sports car. Brown’s friend Ron Plescia penned the original design, which was refined by Franco Scaglione of Bertone. Equipped with the robust aluminum Buick 3.5 liter V8, the first Apollo GT was introduced in 1962, garnering acclaim from the automotive press. Brown showed the prototype to investors, hoping to snag capital to fund his venture, which he called International Motor Cars. A long and winding path finally led to the production of just 88 examples, including several under the Vetta Ventura nameplate. With rarity, beauty, and a full restoration on its resume, this 1963 Apollo 5000 GT is offered as a Barn Finds exclusive. The seller will also consider a partial trade for a 1963-1967 Corvette.
Brown’s efforts to secure funding were successful enough that the first production cars hit the road in 1963, though not completely made of aluminum like the prototype. Late that year, to increase the Apollo’s appeal, Brown introduced a spider and augmented the engine line-up with an iron-block 4.9-liter Buick V8, good for 250 hp. Thanks to its front-mid engine placement, weight distribution was darn close to the ideal 50/50. The transmission is a Borg Warner T10 four-speed manual, though Apollo GTs were also offered with an automatic. Sixty mph from a standstill should arrive in a brisk 8.4 seconds, and top speed is around 140 mph. This car’s underhood landscape is pristine. The odometer reads 10,600 miles.
Brown aimed for a world-class car, and that meant a luxe interior trimmed in leather, with bound carpet, and equipped with a full suite of Jaeger gauges, including the usual speedometer and tachometer but also oil temp, oil pressure, amps, water temperature, and fuel. The delicate interior handles can be found on the finest Italian cars, from Abarth to Lamborghini. Drilled pedals remind us that this GT means business. Alas, despite its exciting design, powerful motor, and roomy, plush interior, the Apollo was a victim of capital starvation. The last Apollo variant was made in 1965.
The undercarriage testifies to the high-quality restoration undertaken on this rust-free California car: nary a speck of dust mars the finish. The seller indicates that the car’s file includes documents from when it was new. Certain to be welcome at any show or rally, this Apollo 5000 GT should thrill its next fortunate owner. Please leave any questions in the comments section and click the Make An Offer button to send the seller your best offer!
- Location: El Dorado Hills, California
- Mileage: 10,600 Miles
- Engine: 4.9-Liter V8
- Transmission: 4-Speed Manual
- VIN: 1072
- Title Status: Clean
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Comments
In 1981 I saw one of these in decent shape on a used-car lot in Amarillo, Texas. Should have…
Absolutely, Frank-“woulda, shoulda, coulda-doesn’t it just kill ya?!?!” We feel your pain!
Am I missing something here? If this is a 3.5 liter engine then the valve covers should be vertical and not at a slant. Unless this is the 3.5 Olds engine which were slanted. This I know for sure from experience. If it is the 5.0 liter Buick, the valve covers were vertical ( I believe ). If it is the 3.5 liter Olds engine, they had one extra head bolt. This is the reason Olds tried turbo charging and not Buick.
I “think” this is the Buick engine, says 4.9 just above the pics:
Location: El Dorado Hills, California
Mileage: 10,600 Miles
Engine: 4.9-Liter V8
Transmission: 4-Speed Manual
VIN: 1072
Title Status: Clean
I agree with Bimmerbill this is the Olds 215 /3.5 liter. Olds did not make a 4.9, but Buick did and it did not have slanted valve covers, and the 215/3.5 Buick would not of had the slanted covers either.
Read the whole article. The Appollo was introduced with the 3.5, which was succeeded by the 4.9-liter engine.
its the Thorndyke special from the 1st Herbie the Love Bug movie!
We actually ran a story about the Thorndyke Special ten years ago! https://barnfinds.com/thorndyke-special/
The Thorndyke special is up for auction in Monterey this year 2023.
Looks like a Jag to me! It’s classy looking.
I have Vetta Ventura no.1044. The very first car made In Dallas by Vangard Motors.It has the 5 Liter 300 cu.in, Buick 1964 Buick engine backed by the Muncie 4 speed with a Hurst shifter. I will look at the engine in a few days and compare to the photo.. but I don’t Believe the valve covers are slanted that much .this may be a 3.5L 215Cu. in. Full aluminum engine as in the early cars.
Gorgeous. True driver’s automobile.🏁
Except it’ll never be driven.
From the rear it resembles an XK-E, the headlight pictures resemble a 911. But this car was designed before either of those cars came to market?
The E-Type predated the Apollo. I watched E-Types run in SCCA events in 1961.
I was lucky enough to see one of these at Fantasy Junction a couple of years ago. Having seen pictures and thinking ‘sports car’, I was surprised and how big it was, a true GT, beautiful car!
Another amazing masterpiece designed by the great Franco Scaglione, who designed iconic Alfas, Abarths, Lancias, Fiats, Siatas, Arnolt-Bristol, Arnolt-Aston Martin, Ferrari-Abarth, Maserati, Stanguellini, Lamborghinis and many more postwar classics – including the three Alfa Romeo BAT series.
This is the Buick 300 that came in the later built cars.The aluminum block
215 came in the early cars
The Buick 300 came out in “64 and was in the Skylark. The 215 (3.5 liter) last year was ” 63 and was later sold to British Rover to be used in their sedans, Triumph TR8 etc.
More info – the 300 had a cast iron block and aluminum heads with bigger ports and bigger valves than the 215 (3.5 liter ). One year only for the aluminum heads that were on the “64. These heads were a premium for the guys running the 215 because they were instant horse power. The engineers had designed the degree of the block so that the heads and intake manifold to just bolt on the 215 block. A lot of guys from across the pond were buying these heads for their 215 engines. To add to that ( just mentioned this the other day) you could bore out the steel sleeves in the 215 blocks and add a bigger sleeve and use the 300 crank from that “64 cast iron block which gave you a little over 300 cu. inches. This did require a small adaptor plate to go on the end of the crank.
A friend of mine took me for a ride in a Nissan p/u with this engine which had been converted to F.I. using a unit from a English SUV and the first thing he out ran among many was a Corvette. Of course this has been a number of years ago. All my memories of this engine were all positive.
Thanks BimmerBill,
I have the aluminum heads on this engine.Engine is completely rebuilt.It runs
very well.
Also have a extra set of aluminum plus a set of cast iron heads.
This is an elegant car with much of the visual appeal of a Prancing Horse car from Italy. My only concern lies with something that was missed in the restoration: the rear quarter bumper on the driver’s side is clearly bent up at a higher angle than its passenger side counterpart. I wonder if that could be resolved by loosening both bumpers and aligning them better. If not, drilling holes that are a bit bigger so as to allow for nice alignment might be necessary.
Such a nice clean car. How could they miss that bumper alignment?
I would like to see someone straighten/align the rear bumpers and the instrument gages. I suppose the stretch makes it a little more of a tourer than the Jag.
Ah, once again-the Italian passion for design with an American great for the powertrain. Sometimes the best of both yet misunderstood by brand badgers. Usually seen and shown in a bad light until many years later when they are appreciated for what they were all along: the strength of elegance and muscular simplicity.
BTW, Jesse-it’s a shame some of us have to learn the hard way of what we’ve missed all along. The link you included about the 2013 coverage of the Thorndyke Special takes us to a terrific piece back in time. Thank you for letting us go back to it!
Absolutely stunning. Love it. Looks far more like a Ferrari of that era than an E-Type to me. The front end is very, very similar to a 330 GT, but this car has a more refined tail.
Among other possible reasons, “that other auction site” almost certainly wouldn’t agree a reserve near this asking/ expectation.
This is a very attractive car, but you can get some very nice 60s Maseratis at that money.
Well this car certainly ups the status of Barn Finds!
Was this Kit Car really ever a barn find. I thought it was found in a shipping container or garage.
ON SALE NOW – Kit Car – ONE for the Price of Four…
This is most definitely not a kit car.
They sometimes came incomplete and you could add what you wanted for engine. That sounds like a Kit Car to me.
Never heard of this gorgeous car! I think I read the entire article and the comments but I don’t read where it was built? Metal or fiberglass? Rigid axle or independent rear suspension? If only I had 200k ……how about a GoFundMe account?…..🤣🤣
This body was hand built in Italy.
Yes The Old Ranger, it does favor the XKE the headlights look a lot like the older model Datsun Z cars.
I think this is the father of the Monteverdi 375/S series ll coupe. 😀 Both are some fantastic designer skills.
I do have a regret to share. I have a few cars in my collection and a very extensive diecast collection. You guessed it I have turned up zero diecast cars of this model. If anyone knows a source that I can obtain one, please advise me. I did order a copy of the November issue of Road & Track to read an interesting article about the Apollo off of e bay. Also ordered a copy of The Love Bug. This is a car I had forgotten and this listing brought back old memories and I am in LOVE again.
Bill
I had one when I was younger. Much younger. Matchbox.
George,
Thank you for the lead, will try that avenue.
Bill