Earlier this year, the reborn
Wiesmann company released the first teaser of “Project Gecko,” a modern-day successor
to the iconic MF5. Now we can bring you the first spy shots of the new roadster
which is expected to wear the MF6 moniker.
Carscoops photographers spotted two almost
identical prototypes on a car transporter in Germany, a closer look revealing
different rear wings and exhaust setups. One of the wings is rounded and looks
like it’s 3D printed while the other is straight and features metal braces. As
for the exhausts, one prototype has the two pipes placed at the middle of the
bumper while the other has them mounted further apart from one another.
Overall, the roadster looks very familiar as it
adopts an evolutionary design Wiesmann fans will instantly recognize. Actually,
the retro-styled bodywork does not seem to be much different from the V10-powered
MF5, with the most visible change being the more aggressive front end with
bigger air intakes and a slightly bigger grille.
The Wiesmann MF6 will pack a BMW powertrain as well
but will “downsize” from the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V10 to a twin turbo
4.4-liter V8 that’s also found in the latest BMW M5. Expect around 600
horsepower which is an absurd amount of power for the sports car that uses an
all-new lightweight platform.
As before, the engine will be mounted at the front
and the power will be sent to the rear wheels via an automatic transmission – a
new 8-speed gearbox instead of the MF5’s 6-speed unit. The MF6 will be
engineered and hand built at Wiesmann’s original factory in Dülmen, Germany,
with production expected to start in 2020.
