Wiesmann GT MF5

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the Wiesmann GT MF5 coupe in its 4.4L Twin-turbo V8 form with 547 bhp, the rear-wheel drive, two-seat, fibreglass-bodied grand tourer that Wiesmann built in Dulmen, Germany, using a BMW M powertrain. It is not a guide to the first GT MF5 of 2008 to 2010, which used the naturally aspirated 5.0 litre V10 from the E60 M5, to the Roadster MF5, or to the cheaper MF4 with its smaller power output. An advert that says only "Wiesmann GT MF5" can describe either engine, so the first job of any buyer is to find out which one is fitted. Where the V10 car differs we say so below.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: Wiesmann's own MF5 heritage page on wiesmann.com, PistonHeads' October 2022 report on a V10 GT MF5 Anniversary Edition for sale, and the government recall checker. We also read GT Spirit's road test of the second-generation car (2 December 2011), AutoGuide's December 2010 report on the V8 announcement, evo's February 2009 test of the V10 car, a PistonHeads road test of the V10 Roadster from September 2010, and Wikipedia's Wiesmann page. Where those sources disagree we say so instead of picking a winner quietly. Prices are history, not valuations.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 4.4L Twin-turbo V8 petrol, the BMW S63 unit also used in the F10 M5, according to the Wikipedia page and a PistonHeads forum post. It displaces 4395 cc by our catalogue, and GT Spirit calls it a direct-injection engine.
• Power: 547 bhp, which is the Wikipedia figure of 408 kW or 547 hp. Wiesmann's own page says 555 HP, and GT Spirit says 555 hp between 5,750 and 6,250 rpm. We read those as the metric 555 PS, and 555 PS is about 547 bhp (555 x 0.9863), which agrees with Wikipedia. Our catalogue previously stored 555 as bhp, which was most likely the metric figure labelled in the wrong unit.
• Torque: 680 Nm, available between 1,500 and 5,650 rpm according to GT Spirit and Wikipedia.
• 0-100 km/h: 3.9 seconds, the maker's claim. GT Spirit prints 3.9 seconds for 0-100 km/h. Wiesmann's page prints 3.9 seconds as well, and AutoGuide's 2010 report gives 3.9 seconds as a 0-60 mph time.
• Top speed: 311 km/h, claimed by Wiesmann. GT Spirit says this is 1 km/h up on the V10 car, which makes the V10 figure 310 km/h.
• Drive: rear-wheel drive, with the engine in the front of the car. Wiesmann says the MF5 came with a six-speed automatic transmission as standard. GT Spirit says the six-speed gearbox comes from BMW.
• Weight: 1,405 kg according to GT Spirit and Wikipedia, which GT Spirit describes as 25 kg more than the V10 car.

What changed from the V10 car

The first GT MF5 was shown at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, and the Roadster MF5 followed at the 2009 Frankfurt show, according to Wiesmann. Those cars used the S85 V10 of the E60 M5. evo's February 2009 test gave 500 bhp at 7,750 rpm and 383 lb ft, and PistonHeads' 2022 report gave 507 hp, which is the same engine under the metric label. PistonHeads' 2010 Roadster test described a seven-speed SMG automated manual gearbox with paddle shifters, and it called the automatic mode woeful. The V8 car dropped that gearbox for a six-speed automatic, which Wiesmann lists as standard. Neither the maker nor GT Spirit says whether it is a torque-converter or dual-clutch unit.

AutoGuide reported the V8 plan in December 2010 as a coming Geneva debut, which we take to mean the March 2011 show, and GT Spirit tested the car by December 2011. Wikipedia lists the V8 for 2011 to 2014 and the V10 as the earlier engine. GT Spirit counts 48 hp and 160 Nm more than the V10 car, while the quoted 0-100 km/h time is unchanged at 3.9 seconds. Its tester felt a stronger push out of corners, estimated at half a second quicker to 100 km/h in real life, and judged the handling superb. Its main complaint was the sound, which the writer called simply less amusing than the V10, and the steering was found a bit too light in corners. Those are one tester's opinions from one road test, not measurements.

What the V10 test says about the earlier engine

The V10 car matters to a buyer because it is the cheaper one to find. evo praised the engine as one of the world's great motors but noted that it was essentially asleep below 2,000 rpm and that the steering was too light. PistonHeads' 2022 report on a 2009 car registered in 2015, number 16 of the 20 Anniversary specials, quoted 507 hp and 383 lb ft in a body of about 1,400 kg and gave the price as 140,000 pounds. That is an asking price from a dealer, not a sale. We bring this up so that you can tell which spec you are reading about when a listing mixes the two.

How many were built

Wiesmann's page says the MF5 Roadster and GT MF5 together were exceptionally rare, with under 200 vehicles ever built, and that the V10 Roadster was limited to 43 cars. Wikipedia says the Roadster was limited to 55 units and only 43 were made. None of the sources gives a build count for the V8 GT specifically, so our catalogue has no production count and we do not guess one. Ask for the Wiesmann chassis number and confirm the build date, because the date is what separates a V10 car from a V8 car.

Years, closure and support

Wikipedia says Wiesmann filed for insolvency at the Munster court on 14 August 2013. It then says management asked for the proceedings to be dismissed, and that the business was temporarily closed in May 2014. It also says the company was later bought by a London investor, Roheen Berry, and that new models were in development, including an electric roadster. Wiesmann's own page, which is the maker's current site, calls the MF5 the last of its past models, so the V8 GT is a car from a defunct production line. Our catalogue used to say 2009 to the present, which was wrong. We now give 2011 to 2014 for the V8 coupe, with the end date resting on Wikipedia and not a Wiesmann statement.

The practical point is support. The current Wiesmann site has a service section, but we did not read it and cannot say what it covers for a 2011 to 2014 car. We found no published servicing schedule, running cost or parts price list for the V8 car. The engine and gearbox are BMW parts, which may help with some consumables, but that is our inference, and bodywork, glass and trim are Wiesmann's alone.

What to check before buying

• Confirm which engine the car has, V10 or 4.4L Twin-turbo V8, and which gearbox. Ask for the build sheet and the chassis number.
• Ask for the full service history, any BMW-engine work and any bodywork repairs. A fibreglass body over an aluminium chassis, as PistonHeads describes it, needs a specialist to judge repair quality.
• Ask who has serviced the car since 2014 and where parts came from. Do not assume a dealer network exists.
• Inspect the carbon-composite brakes, the 19 inch or 20 inch wheels and the front splitter for damage. We did not find the standard wheel size of the V8 car.
• Check the registration and import history. Wiesmann did not sell cars in the United States at the time of evo's 2009 test, so a car there is probably a private import.
• Take the car to a specialist for an independent inspection, and drive it yourself on a variety of roads to judge the light steering that two testers mentioned.
• Run the registration through the recall check described below.

Recalls and the DVSA check

We read the government recall checker page but did not run a check, because we are not looking at a specific car. The page says that for a car you can use the registration number to see whether it has outstanding safety recalls, and that you need the manufacturer, model and year for a car without a registration. It also says the checker lists serious safety problems only, and that you will hear about non-safety recalls from the manufacturer directly. For a low-volume German car that is out of production, it can tell an owner only what has been logged with the UK authorities. It cannot tell you about a service bulletin Wiesmann sent to dealers, about a campaign for the BMW engine inside the car, or about work done before the car was imported. We found no recall notice for the GT MF5 in any source, and absence from our sources is not a clean bill of health.

About the photograph

The picture at the top of this page shows a GT MF5 in silver on display at the Wiesmann Sports Cars premises in Dulmen, photographed in August 2018. It is cropped to show the nose. Its caption does not say whether the car has the V10 or the V8 engine, so we use it only to show the shape, which is shared by both. The white board on the front is a model badge and not a registration plate.

Verdict

The Wiesmann GT MF5 in this guide is the V8 coupe: 547 bhp (555 PS), 680 Nm, a claimed 3.9 seconds to 100 km/h and 311 km/h, rear-wheel drive, from a maker that has been through insolvency. It is a hand-built, very rare car whose BMW heart is easier to service than its body. If you are shopping for one, confirm the engine and the build date, insist on a full history and a specialist inspection, and treat every published figure as a claim with the caveats above. We have not driven it, so use the sources and a proper inspection to decide.