This is the Isdera Imperator 108i, it’s a mid-engined vehicle developed in Germany in the late 1970s and early 1980s that was powered by a Mercedes-Benz V8. Only approximately 30 examples of the 108i were made, and today they’re considered highly collectible.
Interestingly, back in the early-1980s when the 108i was in the final stages of development the company was in talks with John Delorean about having the Isdera Spyder 033i model produced at a factory in Louisiana and branded as a new DeLorean. Sadly the deal never came to fruition.
Fast Facts – The Isdera Imperator 108i
- The Isdera Imperator 108i is a rare German mid-engined supercar from the 1980s, powered by Mercedes-Benz V8 engines. Only about 30 were made, evolving from the Mercedes-Benz CW311 concept car. It was created by Eberhard Schulz, a former Porsche and Mercedes designer who founded Isdera.
- Schulz’s unique career path involved building his own car (the Erator GTE) as a job application to Porsche and Mercedes. He later developed the CW311 concept at B&B GmbH & Co Auto KG, which led to founding Isdera in 1982 to produce the Imperator 108i.
- The Imperator 108i featured a tubular steel space frame, independent suspension, gullwing doors, and a fiberglass body. Engine options ranged from 5.0L to 6.0L Mercedes V8s, producing 400+ bhp. The only way to order one was to personally call the CEO on the telephone.
- A 1991 Imperator 108i Series 2 is headed to auction, featuring a 32-valve Mercedes M119 V8, 5-speed manual transmission, and only 1,912 km on the odometer. Originally delivered to Japan, it’s now being auctioned in Monterey with an estimated price of $800,000 – $1,000,000 USD.
The Incredible Story Of Eberhard Schulz
As a young man Eberhard Schulz wanted to be a car designer, preferably at either Porsche or Mercedes-Benz. Rather than arriving at the offices in a cheap suit with his resume in hand he opted to take another, far more memorable route. He built his own car, then drove it to both Porsche and Mercedes, using it as a four-wheeled job application. It worked, Porsche hired him and his career officially began.
The Isdera Imperator 108i is a direct descendant of the earlier Mercedes-Benz CW311 concept car, which was developed as a modern homage to the 1950s-era Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing.
The car that Schulz had built was named the Erator GTE, it had been built in 1969 and it shared a similarity with the Ford GT40, a car that would have been very well known to Porsche and Mercedes, and much of the rest of the motoring world, as it had just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times in a row in the years 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969.
Schulz would work at Porsche and then at Mercedes until 1978 when he departed to join the B&B GmbH & Co Auto KG founded by tuning legend Rainer Buchmann to develop a new production car to succeed the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing from the 1950s.
The design of this new car would be influenced by the earlier C111-I (1969) and C111-II (1970) Mercedes concept cars that had never been given the green light for production.
Having worked as a design engineer at Mercedes he retained close contact with many in the design and engineering sides of the business, and this was to prove invaluable for what he had in mind.
Building The Mercedes-Benz CW311
Working closely with Buchmann and his team, Schulz developed a new tubular steel space frame with independent front and rear suspension, four wheel disc brakes, a mid-mounted engine, gullwing doors, and a wildly futuristic body made from fiberglass.
After wind tunnel testing it was discovered that this new body design had a drag coefficient, or Cw, of just 0.311 – an exceptionally good result.
With the official blessing from Mercedes, this new concept car would be named the Mercedes-Benz CW311 – a reference to its drag coefficient value, which also worked well given the influence from the earlier Mercedes-Benz C111 concept car.
This example has a black leather interior, with buckets seats for two, ample instrumentation, and a gated shifter.
After the debut of the Mercedes-Benz CW311 in 1978 there had been significant public demand for an actual production version of the car. Schulz founded Isdera in 1982 to make this car a reality, with the company name being an acronym of “Ingenieurbüro für Styling, Design und Racing” or “Engineering Company for Styling, Design and Racing” in English.
The first car that Isdera put into production would be the Isdera Spyder 033i, a sports car with a design closely following in the footsteps of the CW311, which would then be succeeded by the Isdera Spyder 036i.
The Arrival Of The Isdera Imperator 108i
The production version of the Mercedes-Benz CW311 concept car would appear in 1984, it was called the Isdera Imperator 108i and it remained remarkably close to the original concept. Power was provided by a mid-mounted Mercedes V8 engine, starting with the 5.0 liter Mercedes-Benz M117 V8 with 300 bhp.
Over the production run of the 108i the engine size would be increased, first to 5.6 liters and finally out to a 6.0 liter AMG Mercedes V8 capable of 400+ bhp.
Those who wanted to order themselves an Isdera Imperator 108i couldn’t do so at a dealership, the only way to place an order was to first acquire the phone number of the company’s CEO, then call him and make a request.
The Isdera Imperator 108i was always powered by a Mercedes V8, with displacements offered from 5.0 up to 6.0 liters, with later engines being available from AMG.
Perhaps as a result of this unusual sales method just 30 or so examples of the Isdera Imperator 108i would be built across the Series 1 and Series 2 generations.
The cars are so rare that many have never seen one or even heard of the marque before, but when one does arrive at a show it never fails to gather a crowd of curious onlookers.
The Isdera Imperator 108i Series 2 Shown Here
The car you see here is a 1991 Isdera Imperator 108i Series 2 powered by a 32 valve Mercedes-Benz M119 V8 sending power to the rear wheels via a 5-speed ZF manual transmission. It produces approximately 300 bhp, which is good for a claimed top speed of 283 km/h (176 mph) and a 0-62 mph time of 5.0 seconds.
This 108i was delivered to its first owner in Japan, in later years it would be sent to the United Kingdom, and from there to a new owner in Germany. The car has left-hand-drive configuration and was given a partial restoration courtesy of MePoPres F. Ulbricht GmbH in recent years.
The design of the Isdera Imperator 108i is undeniably eye-catching, it very much looks like a creation of the 1970s, though it has aged well over the years.
It’s finished in silver paint over a black leather interior and it rides on its original alloy wheels. Amazingly, the car has just 1,912 kms (~1,189 miles) on the odometer, surely making it one of the lowest mileage examples of its breed in the world.
The car is now due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s in Monterey, California in mid-August with a price guide of $800,000 – $1,000,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images: Remi Dargegen ©2024 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
