A Ferrari or Lamborghini is the obvious choice when it comes to buying a sportscar. They give off all the right signals in style and substance and are supremely fast. There is just one small problem: in certain sectors of our fair country, they are only marginally less common than sand. Everyone has got one, or so it seems. So how do you stand out from an elite crowd? In a Wiesmann MF5 GT Roadster, that's how.
This outlandish machine is the brainchild of Friedhelm and Martin Wiesmann. These German brothers fell in love with the classic English designs of the 1960s and wanted to bring the classic ideal bang up to date, building it round the most modern German mechanical components. So they took design cues from classic Jensens, Austin Healeys and others to create the basic curvaceous shape of their eponymous car, and then wrapped it round a BMW M5 drivetrain with 507hp. It's every bit as clever as it sounds.
It is simply breathtaking to look at and comes imbued with old-school character. That front end is a step back in time to a simpler world, with that deep front grille looking like nothing on the road today, and the side profile could have come from an old black and white film. From a distance, it's authentic. Those swooping wings are made from fibreglass, rather than exotic carbon fibre, but the olde world charm of the Wiesmann renders such things irrelevant. If we're being picky, then the vents and rear lip spoiler don't quite sit right with the antiquated look, but they're there for a reason.
Because there's a surprise in store when you finally get past the gorgeous details of the interior, such as the canvas roof that pops on to old fasteners, the hand-stitched leather interior and the billet steel door handles that operate with a firm tug. And that is the raucous noise of the 5.0L V10 that bellows into life with a touch of the starter button and shatters the twee illusion in a heartbeat.
Because under the skin of this charming, tweed-clad gent is the thoroughly modern, steroid-fuelled madness of BMW's 507bhp five-litre that now sits in a package some 400kg lighter than the donor car. The Wiesmann weighs in at 1,395kg, which means it comes with a power-to-weight ratio to shame a Ferrari 458 Italia. It's a serious sports car, then, and that's why marketing man Jan Molitor's words tripped off his tongue like nectar: "Shall we take it to the airfield for some fun?"
You don't turn down a chance like that, so before they've had chance to change their mind we have the roof off and we're heading on to the roads leading from the imposing factory that sits underneath a gigantic wooden gecko. The lizard is the company logo and symbolises the fact that the Wiesmann sticks to the road like a gecko sticks to the wall, which is an interesting analogy. For the first leg of the journey, we test the Wiesmann's day-to-day practicality. The gearbox looks like an old-school manual, right down to the golf ball-style shifter. But underneath, all of BMW's systems are still in place so the SMG gearbox retains its flexibility, ranging from full automatic to hard and fast race car changes on the airfield, and the car can be left in its more laconic 400hp mode to save fuel and your licence.
One word of warning, though, the auto mode on the original SMG was woeful and, though the lighter package of the Wiesmann improves matters, it does not stop the auto mode from feeling as comfortable as falling down the stairs. The gearbox works best in full, hard manual mode - even out on the public road. For those that want a true dual box, Wiesmann offers the MF4 with the V8 and BMW's much-improved DCT dual clutch transmission.
That car is cheaper and on the public road is the more sensible blend of outright performance and comfort. But there are always those that want the fastest, the most powerful car in the line-up. As we turn into the airfield, we're cleared for the first flat out blast on the runway. The car starts to pulsate as I blip the throttle with the Sport mode engaged and the full 507bhp straining at the leash; I already know this apex predator is going to be immense.
The figures state 3.9 seconds to 100kph, a massive 0.6 seconds faster than the M5 that gave its guts for the cause. And with the wind in the hair, that almighty F1-sounding motor breathing free through a sports exhaust and the neck twanging effect of those tyres digging in and sending the car snarling at the horizon like a rabid wolf, it feels even faster. The Wiesmann is simplicity itself to drive, too, and drive fast. Just a click of the finger is all it takes up the box with the paddle shifters, though it needs to close in on the 8,500rpm rev limit as the M5 engine was never blessed with torque. But then the intoxicating exhaust note ensures that's rarely an issue. With the V10 screaming at the top end, the acceleration is just unbelievable and in a straight line this car will match almost anything while looking so much better. The top end of 310kph is more than enough for the road and the airstrip, too.
As I fast approach the 90-degree left hander with a photographer optimistically lying in the road just ahead, I thank the skies above that I can just stand on the brake and bang down the requisite three gears to haul off the speed and throw it into the corner. And here's where it gets really interesting. A supremely stiff chassis, thanks to a Lotus-style aluminium monocoque, allowed Wiesmann to soften the suspension enough to soak up bumps without sacrificing its cornering capabilities. As I throw it into a bend with way too much speed on the clock it just sticks when it should spin off the road.
The gecko would fall off the wall long before the back end of this beast gives up the battle for traction and the Wiesmann brothers deserve medals for the way they have combined comfort and grip to an almost illogical extent. It's not the easiest car in the world to drift and when you turn the gadgets off and provoke the car, the cute image gives way to an aggressive monster thanks to the short wheelbase, huge power and large engine hanging over the front. But today is not a normal day and, though Wiesmann drivers regularly gather on track for a few laps, that would be a tiny portion of the car's life.
Which is why the lap time compared to a Lamborghini Gallardo or Ferrari 458 is an absolute irrelevance. For the record, it would be a whisker behind both on a hard charge, but on the road it's such a unique proposition, such a charming machine, that the hair's breadth on the stopwatch pales into insignificance. This is a car for driving through town, to the coast or to the country club, with an outrageous lick of speed, pausing only to soak up with admiration. Everybody loves this car: van drivers stop at junctions, kids point as we cruise past and girls, grandmas and guys alike smile and turn their heads. It has charm, it has style, it stands out from the most exotic crowd and it sticks to the road like a gecko sticks to the wall.
So why go for the obvious choice, when you can now go for something more, shall we say, distinctive? motoring@thenational.ae
