Wiesmann MF4 GT

After some notable successes with a specially built racing Coupé at VLN races and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, the low-volume manufacturer Wiesmann from Dülmen/Germany tried themselves with the creation of a street version. Up to then they only produced the famous Wiesmann MF3 Roadster. The new Coupé debuted without an interior or technical components as MF4 GT Concept at Essen Motor Show 2002, painted in ‘Whitehall Beige’. Over the next nine months, there was intense behind-the-scenes development that led to the unveiling of the very first real prototype, chassis number 001, at the 2003 IAA in Frankfurt/Germany. After the show, final work on the car was carried out in order to get it ready to run and to start initial test drives. For this they put a 4.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine from BMW with 333 hp and 450 newtonmeters of torque under the hood and used a six-speed manual transmission. After an accident during the test drives, the car was rebuilt and painted matt black.

It took until the Top Marques Monaco in May 2005, before Wiesmann showed the production version for the first time. Compared to the original design, the bodywork made of glassfiber-reinforced plastic showed a smaller rear window, bigger external mirrors instead of the small ones from the MF3 Roadster that were borrowed from the old Fiat Panda and smaller air outlets behind the front wheels, higher up, with chromed grilles and integrated side indicator lights. Later, from chassis number 032, this was changed to simple chrome strips with indicators mounted just below. Inside there are two large and five smaller circular instruments centrally in the dashboard. Underneath are the radio, three switches for ventilation control and various buttons whose arrangement has been changed several times over the years. Technically Wiesmann switched from the 4.4-liter engine to the newer 4.8-liter V8 with 367 hp and 490 newtonmeters of torque after the first seven production cars. Until the autumn of 2007, the MF4 was exclusively equipped with a manual transmission, followed by the introduction of the optionally available sports automatic with six gears, which could be changed via paddles behind the steering wheel. It was first installed into the MF4 GT with chassis number 097. Previously, there was only one car with the sequential SMG gearbox from BMW.

So you almost could say, that the car with chassis number 096, shown in our picture gallery, is the last one from the ‘manual production run’. However, until there was a major facelift of the MF4 GT, switching it to the new 4.4-liter biturbo engine from BMW, another 16 customers bought their car with the manual transmission instead of the automatic. Until then, exactly 210 copies were produced with the naturally aspirated engine. Only 13 cars with the biturbo variant followed, as it was too close to the MF4-S version, already offered in parallel since early 2010 (the power difference was only 13 hp).

Chassis 096 is part of the so-called Youngtimer Collection, which is being auctioned-off by RM Sotheby’s at different events this year. The Wiesmann will be sold during the new auction at Techno Classica Essen in April. While the British auction house Coys of Kensington already has a certain tradition there, RM Sotheby’s wants to establish itself more in Germany. The hammer price for this MF4 GT, painted in Rocket Red metallic and upholstered in cream leather is expected to reach a value between 170,000 and 200,000 €.

Images: RM Sotheby’s, Tom Wood