Boutique manufacturers used to be one of the last bastions of hearty, high capacity combustion engines, but now one of our favourites, Wiesmann, has embraced electrification with their new EV roadster, dubbed ‘Project Thunderball’. Specs are typically lofty as per the EV status quo, so you’ll be able to tell your fellow crypto investors that your German sports car has 671 hp and 1,100 nm of torque as you sip on your oat milk iced Americano. Unfortunately, these specs probably wouldn’t impress the average Tesla owner, with a top-trim Model S trumping the Thunderball’s 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds, its capacity of 83 kWh, and even its range of 311 miles.
Despite the middling specs for an EV, Wiesmann still claim that Project Thunderball is “The world’s most exciting electric sports car”, but Wiesmann never really used to be about topping the performance charts anyway. Cars like the V10-powered MF5 used BMW engines because they made for a fantastic companion on a long road trip, offering a great sound track and engaging power delivery. Project Thunderball’s design may be a throwback to Wiesmann greats — we can see hints of the MF3 at the front — but it will be interesting to see how much of that character they’ve managed to maintain with their new electric roadster. One thing that should be commended, however, is their use of analogue gauges, no matter how incongruous it may seem in an EV. Overall, though, we worry that Wiesmann may have sacrificed their grand touring capabilities in favour of the cost-savings afforded by EV architecture. While 311 miles is comparable to what you’d get out of a V8 sports car, from our experience, it’s Europe’s charging network that will be the biggest obstacle to any trans-continental road trips you might have planned. So do you think ditching the dino juice is a wise move, or are you still hoping for the V8 Wiesmann that was rumoured to be in development?
