And while you're having your fun you'll soak up the quality of the interior, which is magnificent. In the traditional way, there are grizzled factory women hand-stitching thousands of optional leathers. And you can, apparently, even shoot an animal and bring in your own hide. Nobody has as of yet, but the option is yours and the Wiesmann factory will lavish the car's tight cockpit with what you provide or with cows from every part of the world to achieve the precise look the company's customers want. Even if you have a penchant for mauve and orange.
It's just the outside that poses uncomfortable questions, as the Old World design needed some help sticking to the floor and that monstrous V10 needs all the cooling it can get. So there are vents, a rear diffuser and a sculpted wing that conflict with the whole design philosophy.
Then there's the price. At 140,000 the MF5 is scary expensive, and going head to head with the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 is a brave move indeed, foolhardy even. But then this is a different car for a different kind of person. A footballer won't get the MF5, and that alone might sway the decision for a true gent in search of a super sports car.
You'd have to pull some strings to get one into the U.S.--federalization is an expensive business after all--but anything is possible if you have the money. So if you want the finest classic British sports car money can buy, you're looking at it. Even though it's entirely modern, and German to boot.
Wiesmann GT MF5
*Layout
Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive
*Engine
5.0-liter V10, dohc, 40-valve
*Transmission
Seven-speed sequential manual
*Suspension
Double wishbone, anti-roll bar (f),double wishbone and trailing link, anti-roll bar (r)
*Brakes
Dual-piston sliding calipers with 374mm perforated composite rotors(f),single-piston sliding calipers with 370mm perforated composite rotors (r)
*Dimensions
Length/Width/Height (in.): 169/76/46Wheelbase: 98.4 in.Curbe Weight: 3,042 lb
*Performance
Peak Power: 507 hp @ 7750 rpmPeak Torque: 442 lb-ft @ 1750 rpm0-62 mph: 3.9 sec.Top Speed: 193 mph
Contact
Wiesmann
www.wiesmann-mf.com