Wiesmann GmbH
Wiesmann GmbH is a German automobile manufacturer that specialises in hand-built custom convertibles and coupes. The company, which has its factory in Dülmen, was founded by brothers, engineer Martin Wiesmann and businessman Friedhelm Wiesmann, in 1988. The business was temporarily closed in May 2014, and following a buyout by London based investor Roheen Berry who took over as CEO, it is set to return with a new model, powered by a BMW M division-sourced V8 engine. The relaunch of the Wiesmann brand has more than one model, including an electric vehicle, in the pipeline and the  pre-development phase of the car has been completed. A teaser video of the brand's rebirth, posted on their website, tells viewers to “expect the unexpected”, while showing glimpses of what could be the first car of the brand's new era. In its previous era, Wiesmann used BMW six-cylinder engines to power its MF models, until the introduction in 2003 of the GT MF4, which used BMW's 4.8-litre V8, and the MF 5, which used the M5's 5.0-litre V10. History. The company's first roadster left the workshop in 1993. By 2006, they  were producing the Wiesmann MF 3 and MF 30 roadsters and the Wiesmann GT MF 4 coupé, all of which utilized engine and transmission components supplied by BMW. The company, which made around 180 hand-built cars each year, used a gecko logo because they claimed their cars "stick to the road like geckos to a wall" Wiesmann planned to begin exporting vehicles to the US by 2010, however, factors including a poor exchange rates and the high costs of modifying and testing cars in order to make them road-legal in the US stymied these plans. On August 14 , 2013 Wiesmann filed for insolvency at the local court in Münster. Four months later Wiesmann's management board filed to dismiss the insolvency proceedings due to abolition of the insolvency reasons while the creditors’ meeting was also postponed. Following unsuccessful talks with CMMW, a UK-based consortium that was interested in taking over Wiesmann and resuming production, the company was closed a month later in May 2014, but following a buyout by London based investor Roheen Berry, who also took over as the CEO, the company is relaunching in 2020, details of which will be available on the Wiesmann website . Early models. MF 30. "Wiesmann MF30" is the first Wiesmann model ever built. The "MF 30" is powered by a six-cylinder M54B30 engine borrowed from BMW, with a capacity of 2979 cm and a power output of at 5,900 rpm and of torque at 3,400 rpm. It has a dry weight of and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.9 seconds, with a top speed of . The model was discontinued in order to give way to the new slightly modified model named "MF 3". MF 3. The primary difference between the "MF 3" and  the "MF 30" was the new engine. The engine featured on the "MF 3" was a BMW S54, which is originally from the M3 (E46). The engine has a displacement of 3246 cc with a maximum power output of at 7900 rpm, and a maximum torque of at 4900 rpm. With the new engine and due to its weight of , this car can accelerate from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.0 sec and reaching a maximum speed of . "MF3" came with a 5-speed manual transmission as basic, and a 6-speed sequential gearbox as an option. Another additional  option were the 20-inch rims running on (front: 235/30/20, rear: 285/25/20) rubber. Other Models. Other models exist such as the "MF 28" or the "MF 35". Later models. GT MF 4. The GT is a closed two-seater with more power than the other models, intended for long distance touring. The GT was first produced in 2003. GT MF5. The "GT MF5" is a closed two-seater & two-seater roadster with more power than the other models. The "GT MF5" roadster, first produced in 2009, was limited to just 55 cars. Project Gecko. Project Gecko is an as-yet  unreleased project, the first vehicle announced since the manufacturer's acquisition by Roheen Berry. The proposed drivetrain will use BMW's TwinPower Turbo 8-cylinder petrol engine and 8 speed gearbox, with proposed top speed of over 320km/h and a 0-100km/h time of less than 3.5 seconds. Boldmen CR4. Compared to other current BMWs, the Z4 hasn't been getting a lot of attention from tuners. Newcomer Boldmen from Germany is ready to address this issue with a full makeover for the soft-top roadster. If you are getting Wiesmann vibes looking at these images, there's  a perfectly logical explanation. None other than Friedhelm Wiesmann is one of the co-founders as well as the company's marketing chief. The new CR4 does away with all the original body panels and swaps them out for carbon fiber replacements. In addition, the headlights and taillights are replaced by bug-eyed clusters, which are an obvious nod to previous Weismann sports cars. Gone is BMW's traditional kidney grille as it had to make way for a hexagonal front grille hosting Boldmen's stylized "B" logo.