Anyone who’s been interested in cars long enough is well aware that small supercar manufacturers often don’t have the staying power to produce more than just a few iterations of their idea of a dream ride. Names like Ascari and Cizeta come to mind, but one that you may never have heard of is Isdera. Short for “Ingenieurbüro für Styling, DEsign und RAcing”, the German company was founded by Eberhard Schulz, who you may recognise as the man partly responsible for the iconic BB-Mercedes CW 311.  

This obviously isn’t a Mercedes CW 311, but there are hints of the prototype Merc in this car’s design. First introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1987, the Isdera Spyder 036i blew minds, with its futuristic looks winning the hearts of journalists and enthusiasts alike. However, the Isdera Spyder also blew wallets: the cars were all hand built in Hildesheim, under the supervision of Mr Schulz, who was more than willing to incorporate any special requests the new owners might have. As a result, each Isdera Sypder was totally unique, and totally expensive — in the end just 17 of these wild open-top supercars were ever built. Don’t let the production numbers give the impression that this was a bad car, as it was far from it. Weighing in at just 920 kilos, the Spyder made its contemporaries look porky by comparison, but this one is even more special. It has a 3.6 litre AMG mid-mounted 6 cylinder producing 276hp — 45 horses more than standard — combined with factory-widened fender flares and Recaro seats, making this the fastest Isdera Spyder ever.  

This 1989 Isdera Spyder is currently for sale in the Classic Driver Market, so this could be your chance to turn up to your next local car meet in a supercar no-one will recognise. What’s more, this is the most powerful and only widebody Spyder ever made by the Isdera factory, so if your favourite brew is a nice cup of rarity, then this could be the car for you.