Wiesmann Sports Cars is bringing something new to Monterey Car Week. The MF5 Tributo is a little bit new, at least. The company is getting ready to show off the hand-built MF5 Tributo at Pebble Beach, but for now the company is focusing more on the drive. Something it’s hoping you’ll focus on as well.
Wiesmann Is Headed To Car Week With Something Vaguely New
Wiesmann MF5 TributoWiesmann
The new Wiesmann might not be an official entrant into the festivities of Car Week. We can’t find it on any schedules, and the company says “no stage needed,” which strongly implies it doesn’t have one. But just showing up in the town with the hottest cars is a pretty smart way to market something that should stand out even among the wild machinery at the dawn patrol.
Plus, as the company points out, “it comes alive on the roads that lead there,” which at least makes it more fun for the company’s driver. But frustratingly, that’s all Wiesmann has to say about its new car. That’s not going to stop us from finding out more, though.
If it’s called the MF5 Tributo, we’re going to assume it’s based on the existing MF5. Wiesmann built that car in coupe and roadster form starting in 2008, ending with fewer than 200 cars built before it went under in 2013.
Since it came back, Wiesmann has been focusing on electrics. Project Thunderball, revealed in early 2022, was its first EV, and it sold out the first year of anticipated construction in a hurry. This car, though, appears to be gas.
Will The MF5’s V10 Return?
Wiesmann MF5 TributoWiesmann
The original MF5 used BMW M’s wonderful V10 engine. The 5.0-liter V10 from the M5 made 500 horsepower in the small and light car, and it was connected to a six-speed automatic transmission. The car could get to 62 mph in under four seconds and reach a top speed somewhere north of 190.
This time, it will almost definitely need to find a new engine. BMW hasn’t built the S85 since 2010, and it was the company’s first and only production 10-cylinder mill. Sure, one of BMW’s V8s would work, and Wiesmann offered the MF5 in GT form with the S63 V8. It even made more power, 547 hp vs 500. That variant is out of production, but BMW sells a very similar engine called S68.
Wiesmann Project Thunderbird overheadWiesmann
That latest engine makes up to 626 horsepower as installed in the Land Rover Defender Octa (BMW engines get around), a figure that would be incredible in a car like the MF5. Of course, that’s speculation on our part, as the company hasn’t confirmed what will power the new car. But anything near 600 hp in a 3,000 pound hand-built sports car from a company that says it wants to corner with more grip than a gecko is going to be a memorable experience.
It makes sense for the company to reach to its past, though. The high-tech electric Thunderball has been repeatedly delayed, and we can’t confirm, even four years after reveal, whether customer cars have been delivered. An old-school gas car is probably going to find higher demand and a much smoother road to production.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters
This year, it seems like every person or company with even teeny aspirations of building pricey cars is invading California’s Monterey Peninsula. It’s a massive gathering of car enthusiasts, but notably, also a massive gathering of wealthy car enthusiasts. If you got something auto-related you want to sell or promote, this is a chance to get some attention from people with big bankrolls – and oftentimes bigger egos.
Seeing Wiesmann suddenly appear after hearing virtually nothing in a very long time isn’t just a surprise. It’s a sign of the times. The rich are getting richer, the future is uncertain, and the time is now to take your shot. We won’t be surprised to see more “unexpected” announcements over the next day or two as the crux of Monterey Car Week culminates with The Quail and the Concours d’Elegance.
