The APAL GT was the first car built by APAL, the small Belgian glass-fibre company founded by Edmond Pery in 1961 in Blegny-Trembleur, near Liège. It was a coupé with gull-wing doors, powered by Volkswagen or Porsche engines, and it was presented at the Brussels motor show in 1962.
APAL GT at a glance
| Maker | APAL (Application Polyester Armé Liège), Belgium |
|---|---|
| Founder | Edmond Pery, 1961 |
| Works | Blegny-Trembleur, Liège Province |
| First shown | Brussels Autosalon, 1962 |
| Body | glass-fibre coupé with gull-wing doors |
| Chassis | Volkswagen Beetle floorpan |
| Engines | Volkswagen or Porsche |
| Production | about 150 cars, 1961–1965 |
| Successors in the range | Formule V single-seater, Horizon GT, buggies |
The GT has no Wikipedia article of its own; this page is based on the sections about the first model in the English, Dutch, German and French articles on APAL, which gives one main source for the car.
History of the APAL GT
APAL took its name from Application Polyester Armé Liège, the glass-fibre process that its founder knew well. Edmond Pery set up the company in 1961 at Blegny-Trembleur and built his first car around Volkswagen mechanicals, the same simple, air-cooled basis that many small European makers used at the time.
The GT coupé was the car that introduced the marque. Its most distinctive feature was a pair of gull-wing doors, unusual on a small glass-fibre car and a strong contrast with the open buggies that would later make APAL famous. Buyers could have the car with a Volkswagen engine or with a Porsche unit, which gave the little coupé a sporting character well beyond its size.
The car was shown at the Brussels Autosalon in 1962. The Dutch Wikipedia account dates the first APAL coupé to 1961 and puts sales at about 150 cars between 1961 and 1965, after which the company moved on to other projects: a Formule V single-seater from 1965, the mid-engined Horizon GT of 1968–1969, and the buggies that became APAL’s best-known products.
APAL itself remained a small workshop. In its best years the factory near Liège was said to turn out up to five cars a day with a workforce of about fifty, and the firm stayed in family hands until the original Belgian company closed in 1998. The GT is remembered as the car that started that story.
Design and features
- Gull-wing doors: the most striking detail of the first APAL, on a small glass-fibre coupé.
- Volkswagen basis: Beetle floorpan and running gear, easy to service and cheap to build.
- Choice of power: a Volkswagen engine or a Porsche unit for buyers who wanted more performance.
- Hand-built glass fibre: light bodywork from a specialist workshop rather than a large factory.
APAL GT versions
- APAL GT coupé (1961–1965): the original gull-wing car on a Volkswagen floorpan.
- Volkswagen-engined cars: the standard, cheaper specification.
- Porsche-engined cars: the sporting version of the same body.
- Later APAL sports models: the Horizon GT of 1968–1969 took the idea further with a mid-mounted engine.
The GT’s successors in the range included the APAL Buggy, the model that made the marque’s name. More cars from the company are in the APAL collection.
Sources
- Apal, English Wikipedia: first model, gull-wing doors, engines, Brussels show
- APAL, Dutch Wikipedia: production years and sales total
- Apal, German Wikipedia: company history
- Apal, French Wikipedia: company history, factory output
