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| It may look British but it's handmade in Germany |
Everybody knows this is the Wiesmann GT MF5, a cross-eyed curiosity that has the looks of a classic British sports car with German handcraft. There was a reason why the Wiesmann brothers shared their passion for classic British sports cars but don't be fooled by it's retro looks. This is somewhat the German equivalent to the Morgan Aero Supersport because both of them are retro-futuristic and the engines that powered were sourced by BMW. While the Morgan Aero has the engine of the BMW M3, the Wiesmann GT MF5 comes with a V10 engine sourced from the old BMW M5 E60, producing 507HP of power and 520Nm of torque. It was mated with a 7-speed sequential transmission connected to a variable differential lock. For safety, it comes with energy absorbing body parts, a stiff aluminum monocoque including a side-collision protection structure, and ABS combined with dynamic stability control. It was on sale since the second half of 2008 and the final production version will also be fitted with even more carbon-fiber aero parts at the buyer’s request.
With production of the BMW V10 engine ended in 2010, we thought that it would be hopeless for the production for the Wiesmann MF5 but "as life goes on" despite BMW no longer produced a V10 engine, Wiesmann remains optimistic that it would use the BMW twin turbo V8 engine for the GT MF5, which is exactly the subject I'll be tackling now...
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| Brand new or minor change? You decide... |
Welcome everyone to the new Wiesmann GT MF5. When I say new, I would say that it was just some kind of minor change to Wiesmann's flagship sportscar that is handmade in Germany and packs exclusivity. At first look, it looks the same as the old GT MF5 but take a second look and you'll now have a front bumper spoiler, a new rear wing, and the 4.4L BMW TwinPower Turbo engine that powered the BMW M5 F10. It now has 555HP of power and 680Nm of torque. However, instead of a 7-speed sequential transmission connected to a variable differential lock, the new GT MF5 comes with a 6-speed sports automatic gearbox (steering wheel paddle shifters).
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| Does it really stick to the road like geckos? |
Okay, the new Wiesmann GT MF5 may have been claimed that it's faster than the old GT MF5 because while the old one has a 0 to 100kph time of 3.9 seconds and top speed of 310kph, the new one has the same 0-100kph time but 1kph faster. On the downside, the new model is somewhat heavier than the old V10-equipped model. Despite that, it still comes with a Aluminium-monocoque body, bonded and riveted, high-quality glass fibre bodyshell, green tinted multilayer glass front window, and an arbitrary exterior paint. The front suspension still comes with an aluminum double wishbone suspension with coil springs and anti roll bar while the rear suspension also retains the aluminum double wishbone and trailing arm suspension with coil springs and anti roll bar.
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| Ready Set Gecko! |
To see how did the new Wiesmann GT MF5 perform well with the engine that powered the BMW M5 F10, Forza Motorsport 4 invited me for a challenge at March's Rivals Event titled "Ready Set Gecko" where you have to drive the 2011 Wiesmann GT MF5 in STOCK ONLY, meaning no tuning allowed on this event. I was take part for some weekly Community Bounty Hunter event where I have to beat the lap time set by a new recruit from Turn 10 Studios, Community Writer John Schommer (Gamertag: Johniwanna), at the Ready Set Gecko event. The prize for beating johniwanna's lap time on the said venue was a unicorn car, which is the 2005 Honda NSX-R GT. However, I played using the settings that johniwanna used such as ABS ON, TCS ON, and ESC ON, but while he used the "Manual w/Clutch" setting, I used the "Manual" setting because sometimes I forgot to hit the clutch button sooner when I change gear. Don't worry because I learned how to used the "Manual w/Clutch" setting but that is enough. The 2011 Wiesmann GT MF5 has a 6-speed sports automatic gearbox so I'll stick to that. I only play with the settings recommended for the car. Here's what happened;
On the 1st day, I beat johniwanna's time.
On the 2nd day, johniwanna beat my time.
On the 3rd day, I beat johniwanna's time again.
On the 4th day, johniwanna beat my time again.
On the 5th day, I beat johniwanna's time...and that's it.
Mine was 02:10.589 while johniwanna's lap time is 02:11.598, so I was one of the lucky many to win that unicorn car...probably.
While I'm still waiting when will my NSX-R GT prize car arrive on my inbox, it's happy to say that the new Wiesmann has some potential. It maybe not as good as the old GT MF5 but it is keeping it up. It maybe more of a retro-futuristic sports car with a BMW engine but the Wiesmann is all about exclusivity and passion for the enthusiast. In reality, most Wiesmann models are built by hand and catered for the customer's individuality, no wonder why the Wiesmann's slogan is "Manufaktur Der Individualisten". Sadly, the new model is half-a-second slower than the old Wiesmann MF5.
As learned from the "Top Gear at the Movies" DVD, the Wiesmann makes it a perfect alternative as a James Bond car if Aston Martin doesn't exists.