Wiesmann resurfaces with 671bhp RWD electric roadster
GERMAN SPORTS CAR maker Wiesmann has made a hardhitting comeback after several years of silence by unveiling the new Project Thunderball – not only its first electrified product but also the first electric rear-wheel-drive convertible sports car since the Tesla Roadster of 2008.
Best known for a series of retro-styled sports cars using straight-six, V8 and V10 BMW engines, Wiesmann is on the comeback trail after a tumultuous period since it filed for bankruptcy in 2013.
The Dülmen-based outfit was acquired in 2016 by international technology firm Contec Global, whose managing director, Roheen Berry, now serves as its CEO.
Priced from €300,000 (£252,500) and expected to hit the road later this year, the Thunderball features a pair of electric motors on the rear axle delivering a combined 671bhp and 811lb ft – enough, Wiesmann says, to get the approximately 1700kg roadster from 0-62mph in just 2.9sec.
The powertrain was developed in partnership with compatriot sports car specialist Roding Automobile.
Roding also supplied the 83kwh battery, which features 800V electrical hardware for rapid charging at rates of up to 300kw and should be good for a range of 311 miles.
Wiesmann claims the regenerative braking system has been developed especially for the Thunderball and, with five settings, can be used “to give a powerful engine braking effect into corners”, thereby providing “a purposeful moment of enjoyment to the driver, something lacking in most EVS on the market today”.
The links to previous Wiesmann models extend to a familiar design treatment, clearly still inspired by sports cars of old but with fresh touches throughout to mark this out as the beginning of a new era for the firm.
The distinctive ovoid front grille references that of the V10-engined MF5, for example, and although the front lights are integrated into prominent new air vent housings, they are arranged in a familiar vertical layout.
The clamshell bonnet is still lengthy, despite the lack of an engine, so the roadster has a familiar cab-rearwards silhouette that is reminiscent of historic British sports cars such as the Jaguar XK120.
Inside, Wiesmann has sought to showcase the same blend of modernity and tradition, with a carbonfibre dashboard housing, a large infotainment touchscreen and seven analogue dials with laser-etched badging.
There are carbonfibre sports seats, too, finished in the same leather as the door panels and glovebox, and a new-look multifunction steering wheel.