It remains unclear when Wiesmann’s Project Thunderball will go into production. Information about the electric roadster has been circulating for months, but its launch date remains a mystery. However, that should be getting closer as Wiesmann is now taking orders for the car.
The Roadster rides on bespoke architecture. Wiesmann positioned the cab as far back as possible to maintain its classic shape, but packing it proved difficult with the electric powertrain. Two electric motors sit behind the cockpit, driving the rear wheels. The T-shaped battery, positioned to lower the car’s center of gravity, occupies the center tunnel and runs to the front of the vehicle.
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The 92-kilowatt-hour battery, of which only 83 kWh can be used, is expected to give it a range of 311 miles (500 kilometers). Wiesmann cools it with a water-glycol mixture, while the Battery Management System allows engineers to fine-tune and optimize it for all driving conditions. It features an 800 volt architecture, enabling 300 kilowatts of fast charging capability. Wiesmann hasn’t specified how long it will take to recharge the NMC’s Li-ion battery, which weighs 1,102 pounds (500 kilograms). The car, which has a carbon fiber body, weighs a little over 3,747 lbs (1,700 kg).
The powertrain delivers 680 horsepower (500 kilowatts) and 811 pound-feet (1,100 Newton-meters) of torque to the rear wheels. This propels the car to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) in a claimed 2.9 seconds. The driver can choose from five regenerative braking settings, which can be accessed via steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
“Thanks to relentless research and testing, this roadster will combine our cutting-edge powertrain technology with Wiesmann’s trademark German engineering excellence,” said Wiesmann CEO Roheen Berry. “We put emotion back into EV.”
Wiesmann will build the car at the “Gecko” factory in Germany. The company hasn’t announced when the model will go on sale, but reservation books have been open since September. The company has filled three-quarters of the first year’s production quota. The production version of Project Thunderball, which is codenamed only, will have a starting price of €300,000 ($307,879 at today’s exchange rates).
