This is the Wiesmann Roadster MF3 and if you’ve never seen one before don’t worry, you’re not alone. The small number of cars built each year by Wiesmann are typically snapped up by buyers in Europe and they’ve never officially exported them to North America or most other world markets outside the EU.
The Wiesmann MF3
If you’ve ever wondered to yourself what would have happened if BMW built an M3 with a retro sports car body the answer is basically this – the Wiesmann MF3. Wiesmann enjoys an unusually close relationship with BMW, particularly with BMW’s M division.
This relationship is so close that a number of senior BMW executives drive Wiesmann MF3s themselves, and Wiesmann is the only company in the world that BMW supplies with BMW M engines and transmissions.
Wiesmann GmbH first started building cars in 1988 in Dülmen, Germany by two brothers – Martin Wiesmann, an engineer, and Friedhelm Wiesmann, a businessman.
The company quickly established a name themselves with their uniquely styled roadsters with perhaps a dash of C-Type Jaguar about them. The company’s cars are characterised by their grilles and their offset, double stacked headlights.
The first production model from Wiesmann was the MF30 which was powered by the inline six cylinder M54B30 BMW engine. The MF30 was replaced by the MF3 which was powered by the BMW S54 inline six cylinder from the E46 BMW M3.
Above Video: Jeremy Clarkson was a big fan of the Wiesmann Roadster MF3 when he reviewed it for this Top Gear segment many years ago.
The S54 has a capacity of 3246cc and a power output of 338 hp at 7,900 rpm, with 269 lb ft of torque at 4,900 rpm. The MF3 tips the scales at 1,180 kgs (2,601 lbs), which is 390 kgs (860 lbs) less than the E46 M3, the original source of its engine.
Much like the MF30 that came before it, the MF3 has a tubular steel chassis with aluminum plates, the body is lightweight fibreglass, and it has independent suspension all around with McPherson struts and an anti-roll bar up front, and multi-link rear suspension with an anti-roll bar in the rear.
As you may expect, the performance of the MF3 is remarkable, with a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) time of just 4.9 seconds, and a top speed of 255 km/h (158 mph). Reviewers have all been effusive about the scalpel sharp handling of the car, and all the cars developed by Wiesmann.
In recent years Wiesmann fell on hard times, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2014 however they were saved by British investor Roheen Berry who is currently working with the company on an all-new electric Wiesmann sports car codenamed “Project Gecko.”
The 2006 Wiesmann Roadster MF3 Shown Here
The MF3 you see here is a 2006 model with 19,534 kms on the clock, EIsblau Metallic paint work, Glattleder Blueberry upholstery, and it’s been in the same ownership for almost 11 years.
The car is currently for sale with Collecting Cars, it’s fitted with the less common SMG automated manual transmission with paddle shifters, and the bidding is currently at €30,000 with six days remaining.
If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.
Images courtesy of Collecting Cars
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.
