Established in 1985 by two brothers, Wiesmann GmbH has been one of the most peculiar sports car makers in Germany, its uniquely designed models having an old-school British vibe to them despite being powered by modern BMW engines.
After a six-year hiatus that started with bankruptcy and continued with so many ups and downs that they're hard to count, Wiesmann is finally back and our spy photographers have caught up with two camouflaged “Project Gecko” prototypes in the wild.
Tentatively set to sport the MF 6 moniker when it goes on sale in 2020, the new Wiesmann top model is powered by the twin-turbocharged V8 in the F90 M5, paired with a ZF 8HP automatic gearbox.
Oddly enough, you can check out a second prototype on the trailer, and it has a different rear wing while its two exhausts are positioned differently as well.
There aren't many details available about Project Gecko yet, but we sincerely hope it will signal a Wiesmann resurrection because it truly deserves it.
Back in the day, we were so infatuated with the company that we even staged a random and unannounced visit to its headquarters in the Westphalia region of Northern Germany after getting back from Brabus, which is headquartered nearby.
Shaped like a giant Gecko lizard, just like its logo, the headquarter building is a sight to behold, and so were Wiesmann cars until the company filed for bankruptcy in 2013.
With new investors and a new CEO, who now works at Mercedes-AMG, the company was restarted a few years later and then it was completely bought by two British investors, who planned to begin production of revamped models as early as 2016.
That plan didn't come to fruition until 2017 when Wiesmann signed a new deal with BMW M as an engine supplier for a new model, but that was put on hold until 2019, when the company finally teased the new model, called “Project Gecko” internally, and showed some of the specs. You can check out the gallery for the first photos of the pre-production prototypes.
Tentatively set to sport the MF 6 moniker when it goes on sale in 2020, the new Wiesmann top model is powered by the twin-turbocharged V8 in the F90 M5, paired with a ZF 8HP automatic gearbox.
Oddly enough, you can check out a second prototype on the trailer, and it has a different rear wing while its two exhausts are positioned differently as well.
There aren't many details available about Project Gecko yet, but we sincerely hope it will signal a Wiesmann resurrection because it truly deserves it.
Back in the day, we were so infatuated with the company that we even staged a random and unannounced visit to its headquarters in the Westphalia region of Northern Germany after getting back from Brabus, which is headquartered nearby.
Shaped like a giant Gecko lizard, just like its logo, the headquarter building is a sight to behold, and so were Wiesmann cars until the company filed for bankruptcy in 2013.
With new investors and a new CEO, who now works at Mercedes-AMG, the company was restarted a few years later and then it was completely bought by two British investors, who planned to begin production of revamped models as early as 2016.
That plan didn't come to fruition until 2017 when Wiesmann signed a new deal with BMW M as an engine supplier for a new model, but that was put on hold until 2019, when the company finally teased the new model, called “Project Gecko” internally, and showed some of the specs. You can check out the gallery for the first photos of the pre-production prototypes.