The end of Wiesmann

If you know your obscure automakers, you have heard about Wiesmann. They were building some pretty crazy roadsters powered by BMW engines.

The brand was founded in 1988 by the Wiesmann brothers. They started by building hardtops for various convertibles, but quickly decided to build their own cars. In 1993, Wiesmann rolled out its first model, the MF30, with a 6 cylinder BMW engine developing 230 HP. This allowed the car to go from 0 to 100 in 6 seconds and hit a top speed of 230 km/h. The brothers decided to use a gecko for their company’s logo, since their car "was gripping the road like a gecko to a wall!"

• Also: Morgan Celebrates the 100th Birthday of its Factory with a Special Plus 8
• Also: The Merciful end of the Mitsuoka Orochi

Wiesmann’s latest (and probably last) car, the GT MF5, was later unleashed on the public. With a BMW M3’s V8 engine, it hit 100 km/h in 4 seconds flat, and if the driver had the nerves to push it, would go all the way to 311 km/h. Due to the car being completely hand-made, it also costs more than $300,000…

Sadly, Wiesmann is now on its last leg. The company had problems paying its suppliers and its employees. Of the 125 peoples that were part of the automakers workforce, only 6 remain.

The harsh realities of the market just swallowed another dreamer.