Wiesmann cars

Dülmen in not a name that evokes images of sleek chassis and purring engines like Detroit, Turin or Wolfsburg might. But in this city on the edge of Germany's Ruhr Valley, Wiesmann employees carefully assemble elegant roadsters in a futuristic glass-and-steel factory that wouldn't be out of place in a Bond movie.

Some might wonder how Wiesmann manages to survive in this day and age. The company has little in common with the huge production plants run by Volkswagen and the other giants.

In Dülmen, there's no army of robots assembling hundreds and thousands of vehicles. Instead, Wiesmann sports cars are put together by hand and released in limited numbers. They are not meant for the masses, but for those who want something powerful and different - and those who can afford to pay a premium for it.

Martin and Friedhelm Wiesmann founded their company in 1988. Cars always played a major role in their family life, which was centered around their parents' auto dealership. It's where the brothers' careers began before they moved on to a children's clothing factory to see how the management side of things worked. It was there, in 1985, that they came up with the idea developing a sports car based on a 1960s design.

The eureka moment came when the brothers were walking through the Essen Motor Show, according to Martin Wiesmann, who says the two had dreamed of designing and building their own cars since they were kids. They were appalled at the number of what they considered botched jobs – sports cars whose makers may have had good intentions, but failed miserably in the execution.

"There were a lot of limited-edition cars that were poorly manufactured and outfitted with out-of-date technology," he said. "I thought to myself: 'you can do better!'"

Quality first

Today, the brothers' produce cars that are labors or love – for real car lovers. They have a high-horsepower engine from BMW under the hood and the company's gecko logo on the car's elongated rear section. The company chose the gecko because its cars "stick to the road like geckos to a wall," Wiesmann says.

Appearing confident in his checked shirt, black jeans and designer sunglasses, 58-year-old Martin Wiesmann, tells the story of how he got permission to use BMW engines in his cars despite early resistance from the company.

He and his brother traveled to Munich to talk to the company's then-head of technology about their new car and the concept behind it.

"We convinced him of the quality of our product and since then, we've been supplied with BMW engines," he said.

High above the production hall in Dülmen, a stylized, 150-meter long gecko keeps watch as the cars roll directly from the assembly line to the showroom.

The company only has a few different models, emphasizing quality over quantity. There is the Roadster MF3 (six cylinder, 343 horsepower), the GT4 (eight cylinder, 407 horsepower) and the GT5 (eight cylinder, 555 horsepower, with a top speed of 408 km/h, or 254 mph).

Around 110 employees work in the luminous production facility and the adjoining glass offices. Lathe operators, welders, electricians and upholsterers need an average of 350 hours to build a Wiesmann vehicle from scratch. Frames, tanks, exhaust systems and bodies are all constructed in Dülmen.

"We even developed an air conditioning system," Wiesmann says proudly. "Normally carmakers go to a supplier who develops the air conditioning systems and delivers them directly to the assembly line. But we couldn't find anyone who wanted to supply us in the small numbers we were asking for."

The Wiemann brothers try to customize each car just the way the client wants – be it a special color for the body or a preferred type of leather for the interior. The company will gladly match the interior stitching to a favorite handbag or briefcase.

But with such specialization comes a hefty price tag. The roadster boasts a base price of 103,000 euros while the GT5 starts at 180,000 euros.

Emotional appeal

The first Wiesmann roadsters hit the streets in 1993 and since then, the company has manufactured around 1,400 sports cars. According to Wiesmann, in 2003 the company was building 50 cars a year, which was too few. To increase production, the brothers needed a new factory, and their current glass facility was the result.

The aim is to bump production up to 250 cars a years, half of which would be slated for export. Those numbers could go higher, since the company's market research found a sales potential of over 1,200 vehicles annually.

"But with a product like this, a certain scarcity is part of the game," said Wiesmann.

Right now, the company has distribution and service operations in 19 countries and recently opened a new dealership in Milan, not far from Ferrari.

"We make a car that appeals to the emotions," he said. "Not one that takes cost effectiveness into account."

Client profile

Indeed, the company's clients fulfill the stereotype: they're mostly male, over 50, already have a few sports cars in the garage, and possess a healthy bank account. Still Martin Wiesmann wouldn't describe his cars as toys for well-off men.

"That's a little exaggerated," he said. "But the cars allow drivers to experience freedom on the road."

Still, Wiesmann admits that fuel consumption is becoming an issue for his customers, not so much due to the financial aspect, but rather because gas guzzlers don't fit the times we live in today. The buyers of his sports cars are also interested in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, although that is certainly not the primary point of discussion in the showroom.

As far as the global economic crisis goes, Martin Wiesmann is fairly relaxed. As a small, niche manufacturer in the luxury car segment, the fluctuations of the economy only have a limited effect on his business.

He's satisfied with sales so far this year and confident that his company will stay on an upward path, since his company deals with something with a "tangible and lasting value."

Author: Michael Marek (jam)
Editor: Sam Edmonds