WIESMANN: THE GERMAN CAR COMPANY WITH A BRITISH HEART

We speak to the CEO of the independent sports car maker about its exciting future

- Steve Fowler 

GERMANY has many hotbeds of automotive manufacturing, but Dülmen isn't traditionally one of them. Hidden away on the outskirts of the town not far from the German/Dutch border lies an extraordinary factory with more than a hint of British inspiration in what it produces.

Wiesmann is a unique thing: an independent German sports car maker, but one whose inspiration comes from British roadsters. It was founded back in 1988 to mix the best of British style with fine German engineering - what sounds like the perfect combination. But as with many independent sports car makers, it's had its fair share of ups, downs and financial tribulations.

Siblings Martin and Friedhelm Wiesmann founded the company, but are no longer at the helm; the company was rescued in 2016 by Roheen and Sahir Berry, who have a vision to revive the brand and propel it into the electric era with a new model, codenamed Project Thunderball.

Roheen is now CEO of Wiesmann and invited Auto Express to visit the company's unique headquarters in Germany, and to drive an early, pre-production version of the new electric car (see panel on page 19).

The Wiesmann factory is as unusual as the cars themselves. It's called the Gecko, because the shape of the building mimics the gecko on the Wiesmann badge, complete with a structural 'tail' that can be seen from afar.

All the design, engineering and production work is carried out at the factory, which also welcomes potential customers to the sales area that overlooks the factory floor. Old customers are welcome back, too, and as Berry walks us around the factory, we pass old Wiesmann race cars that have taken part in the famous N24 event, plus one remarkably fresh-looking model belonging to a Swiss doctor who uses it as his daily driver, racking up the best part of a quarter of a million kilometres in the process.