Fab 40: Wiesmann Cars, Dülmen

Germany

If you're going to do retro style, do it with the kind of panache that makes contemporary cars seem strangely old-fashioned. That seems to be the self-imposed mandate at Wiesmann, a company that prides itself on building 'purist sports cars' at its extravagantly styled factory in Dülmen, about 40 kilometres from the Dutch border (the vast wooden roof structure resembles a gecko, the company's logo).

Founded 21 years ago by two brothers, Friedhelm and Martin Wiesmann, each car is hand-built, with high performance BMW mechanicals swathed in vaguely 1950s Jaguar-inspired bodywork. These are certainly not replicas, however, and both the Roadster and GT models favour a pared-down approach to deliver a very visceral driving experience, most especially in the V10-engined GT MF5, introduced earlier in the year.

www.wiesmann.com

22 October 2009 | Cars