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WIESMANN GT
The German company Wiesmann is a manufacturing company that produces
puristic handmade sports cars according to own development plans. Each
Wiesmann sports car can be individually equipped, tailored to the wishes
of the customer. By now there are over 650 satisfied customers across
Europe owning, driving and enjoying the puristic Wiesmann- Roadster
every day, along with over 130 happy customers driving the new
Wiesmann-GT.
The company founders Friedhelm and Martin Wiesmann, have been working
very hard to transform the prototype building to a production facility
for exclusive sports cars, and, on top of that, to achieve an efficient
and profitable production. Since that time, the Wiesmann company became
an established car producer, fitting BMW engines and high-quality German
driving technology components into their self-designed sports cars. The
comprehensive production depth guarantees great know-how and Wiesmann
quality for the whole car.
Now after 14 years of continuously increasing production, there is even
a major extension of production planned due to the great demand!
According to that, the company as a whole will move to a larger site in
spring 2008, in order to be well prepared for future challenges.
GT - Roadster - 500th Roadster
The Wiesmann-Race-GT supplied the basic data for
the development of the new GT: This shooting star was given
scrupulous testing under extremely tough conditions, e.g. the
24-hour race round the Nürburgring. The brawny BMW V8 engine of the
Wiesmann-GT has 367 HP and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6
seconds. A pure sports car which can hardly conceal its dynamic
personality. With plenty of engine sound and unbridled power which
presses you softly but surely into your seats when you accelerate.
The success of the Roadster concept is based on a successful
synthesis of classic design and state-of-the-art engineering. This
encouraged Friedhelm and Martin Wiesmann to develop a new, similarly
fascinating, sports car on the basis of the Roadster, the
Wiesmann-GT.
The two-seater coupé celebrated its premiere as a production vehicle
at the IAA 2005 in Frankfurt, to be acclaimed by the motoring
experts.
Despite the suggestions of a classic design as a further development
of the Wiesmann-Roadster it was a completely new car which was
created. Basic data were gained from the Wiesmann-Racing-GT, which
was tested as a experimental vehicle under extreme conditions during
the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2002.
Since it was clear from the outset that this vehicle would not only
be optically different, but based on different fundamental data,
from the Roadster, there was plenty of room for manoeuvre in the
development. Starting point for considerations was the engine. This
was to represent a new sparkle, come what might.
Since, as it is well known, displacement can only be replaced by one
thing, and that is more displacement, thoughts quickly made friends
with the idea of using a BMW V8 engine of 4.8 litres capacity. This
made a larger engine compartment than the Roadster's essential,
which consequently meant that all the dimensions of the Wiesmann-GT
would have to be oriented towards that.
Thus, the GT grew in all directions, compared with the Roadster: it
was three centimetres higher, eleven wider, and no less than 37
longer. To take account of the rather higher fuel consumption of the
larger engine, 10 litres additional fuel tank volume was provided,
at 70 litres, to guarantee adequate range on longer journeys.
The challenge now facing the engineers was to convert the engine's
output into vehicle dynamics. Normally, a larger vehicle also weighs
more, which in turn adversely affects the performance figures. This
was avoided by designing an aluminium monocoque, familiar from the
racing scene. In this way, the increase in weight was kept within
bounds, and at 70 kg was extremely modest for a car of this size.
The bodywork is of lightweight, high-quality, fibreglass-reinforced
compound material and in the familiar manner is also fabricated in
the factory.
The xenon headlights ensure good visibility in darkness, and the
rear lights, which consist of LEDs, not only give a clear signal but
are also unmistakable as the hallmark of the Wiesmann- GT even at
night.
With a power-to-weight ratio of 3.41 kg/HP the Wiesmann-GT is to be
found in the leading group of sports cars. The low centre of
gravity, the perfectly-tuned running gear combined with the bullish
torque delivered by the engine, the optimum seating position for
driver and passenger ensure unalloyed driving enjoyment.
The Wiesmann-GT is an individual sports car with a classic design,
which fits perfectly in the automotive landscape and which will
capture its own niche.
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