Wiesmann Files for Bankruptcy

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GranTurismo916

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Story from Topspeed.com:

TopSpeed
In an obviously disappointing turn of events, Wiesmann, the manufacturer of those highly attractive MS5 Roadsters, has reportedly filed for bankruptcy.

The filing, which was made in the Münster District Court in Germany, didn’t specify the type of financial straits the company is under but the fact that the courts not only found Wiesmann insolvent, but it was also compelled to appoint one Dr. Norbert Küpper as Wiesmann’s preliminary insolvency administrator. These two things definitely casts a pall of gloom on the future of the 20-year old company.

It’s a huge shame that it’s come to this for Wiesmann. Sure, it never established the kind of traction it would’ve hoped with its retro-futuristic models, but the ones that it built, specifically the pocket rocket that was the GT MF5, definitely deserved a whole lot more love than it received.

We’re really hoping that this whole situation is ironed out and Wiesmann isn’t forced to fade into the sunset. But that’s the harsh reality of doing business in an insanely competitive industry. If you don’t have the proverbial horses to keep up, you’re going to be left behind in the cold.

And in Wiesmann’s case, it might end up costing the company its very existence.
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Ack, sad. I always liked their weird cars, and some of them were pretty fast for what they were. I hope it doesn't die, we need more oddball makers like this.
 
^ This. Smaller companies like this were so personal it seems. The the methotical ways they do something is unlike any big manufature out there, excluding VW.
 
This cannot be happening...

f5.gif
 
First Gumpert now Wiesmann.... I think the Germans are learning a hard lesson that others learned a decade ago - small sports car manufacturers are rarely viable. This day in age you really have to have something unique, amazing, and beautiful to make it, kinda like Pagani, and charge one hell of a premium for it. I really like Wiesmann, I really thought they had something there, at least enough to do well.
 
Not entirely surprised by this. For a company that's made only about 1500 in 20 years, the factory always struck me as a bit of a vanity project.

 
Saw them on How It's Made and thought they'd be done for. Hideous cars, hideous factory.

Small manufacturers are viable, but not with retarded business models. You don't dump millions of dollars into a steel gecko.
 
Absolute shame. I've always liked their wacky aesthetic better than Spyker or Morgan... hell... if I were filthy rich, I'd buy one.

But niche luxury sports car manufacturers are a bubble economy anomaly. When the money bubble comes crashing back down, so does the market.
 
That's Wiesmann's factory????

Awesome!!!! :dopey:

Their cars sure look weird, but still, these small automakers always show us a good thing or two...
 
Wiesmann's are highly attractive? News to me. Not surprising in this economy, it's always taken a very clever business strategy to keep a sports car maker viable as a business, even if it does mean selling your soul and building an SUV al a Porsche.
 
They're unusual, but I have always been impressed by the quality of Weissman's bodywork.

2008-Weissman-GT-to-Make-its-Deb-2.jpg

2008-Weissman-GT-to-Make-its-Deb-1.jpg


Doesn't look like a slab of Bondo (Gumperts) and the classical proportions are less... challenging... than Spyker's.

They've always struck me as stunning GTs that I wouldn't mind owning or even just getting a chance to drive at some point in the future.
 
This is good to hear, I'm impressed by the quality of these cars, although I find Morgans to be much more attractive, (For the most part) although many prefer the Wiesmanns, which I completely understand.
 

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