Wiesmann is one of those car builders we don’t get to talk very often about. The German company, established in 1988, has made a name for itself by hand-building extremely rare BMW-engined convertibles and sports cars. And for next year they have something special in mind.
One of the company’s most exciting models is the MF5, first introduced in 2009 and produced in a limited number of 55 units. This car, the most powerful in the Wiesmann line-up, will form the basis of a model the Germans plan to unveil and start making in 2020.
For now, the model’s name is Project Gecko, dubbed so to remind the world of the company’s chosen logo.
Not many details about the new car are known at this point, apart from the fact it will use a BMW M TwinPower V8 gasoline engine. This is the result of a deal struck back in 2017 between Wiesmann and the Bavarian auto giant.
Visually, Project Gecko is supposed to be a “modern take on the cult MF5 model,” retaining much of the design and luxury features of that car.
Underneath it though Wiesmann will fit a new, lightweight platform that should accommodate a front mid-mounted engine and a rear-wheel-drive configuration. This way, says Wiesmann, the car will have a 50:50 weight distribution.
“This last true independent manufacturer of German sports cars is back and has an exciting future to look forward to,” said in a statement Roheen Berry, the company’s CEO.
“When we set out on this journey we said we wanted to re-engineer an icon and we are on track to do exactly that.”
Just as all the other cars made by the German builder, Project Gecko will go into production in 2020 at the Dülmen factory, where it will be assembled by a team that comprises some of the original Wiesmann engineers.
More details on the car are expected to surface in the coming months.
For now, the model’s name is Project Gecko, dubbed so to remind the world of the company’s chosen logo.
Not many details about the new car are known at this point, apart from the fact it will use a BMW M TwinPower V8 gasoline engine. This is the result of a deal struck back in 2017 between Wiesmann and the Bavarian auto giant.
Visually, Project Gecko is supposed to be a “modern take on the cult MF5 model,” retaining much of the design and luxury features of that car.
Underneath it though Wiesmann will fit a new, lightweight platform that should accommodate a front mid-mounted engine and a rear-wheel-drive configuration. This way, says Wiesmann, the car will have a 50:50 weight distribution.
“This last true independent manufacturer of German sports cars is back and has an exciting future to look forward to,” said in a statement Roheen Berry, the company’s CEO.
“When we set out on this journey we said we wanted to re-engineer an icon and we are on track to do exactly that.”
Just as all the other cars made by the German builder, Project Gecko will go into production in 2020 at the Dülmen factory, where it will be assembled by a team that comprises some of the original Wiesmann engineers.
More details on the car are expected to surface in the coming months.