WIESMANN MF5 Roadster
Generations Timeline, Specs and Pictures
Wiesmann produced vehicles for those with deep pockets who could appreciate a bespoke sports car built on their taste, and then the German carmaker offered it as a roadster.
When a big carmaker wants to build a special roadster, the engineering team will have an army of accountants behind them who will scream that they will not approve an unusual project. But there are a few car manufacturers who could do that. Wiesmann was one of them.
Dressed like an old British roadster, the MF5 was packed with new technologies. The rounded shapes of the bodywork and ample front wheel fenders are part of the retro-style design. Its round headlights with clear lenses are far better than the ’60s best headlights. As for the bumper, well, there is none of that. The crash-protective elements are well hidden behind the front fascia. The purity of a roadster consisted of a minimalist design, and Wiesmann designers were good at that. In the back, behind the exposed retractable roof-top, the carmaker installed six LED taillights grouped by three, flanking the trunk. Also, no bumper here, but the protection element could have been seen behind the license plate support, above the two exhausts.
The interior was manually crafted, and there was even an iPhone connection cable in the armrest. There was only a small cluster in front of the driver, where the car showed the gear and a few lights. The speedometer and other gauges found their place on the center stack, tilted toward the steering wheel.
Under the hood, Wiesmann installed a twin-turbo V-8 engine from BMW. It produced 555 hp, which transformed the beautiful and elegant roadster into a rocket since its weight was just 3,241 lbs (1,470 kg).
Wiesmann designed a car that looked very British, but it built it with German engineering and BMW M engines under the hood.
And then, they cut the roof.
The world was still affected by the global financial crisis when the German car manufacturer Wiesmann introduced the roadster version for the MF5. It was a car that didn’t have any straight line or flat panel whatsoever. But its design was balanced and resembled the glorious British roadster of the ’60s.
The MF5 featured relatively small headlamps instead of headlights at the front. But make no mistake, they were powerful enough to fill the road with their white, Xenon, light. Its grille resembled the one from the Jaguar XK120, in a heart-shaped rim with vertical slats. On the lower bumper, the designers installed two other grilles that resembled two leaves. In the rear, the small round taillamps mimicked the design of the headlight, and they were installed on top of the curved rear fenders. The roadster featured a rag-top that could have been retracted behind the two seats and covered with a piece of fabric.
Inside, the car manufacturer didn’t spare any place to use Alcantara materials. Even the dashboard, with its center-mounted dials, was covered with the same materials. But the CD-stereo installed on the center stack looked utterly out of place.
Wiesmann dropped a BMW M5 V8 twin-turbo under the hood. It produced 507 hp and was paired to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.