Welden It had to happen somehow. Because someone like Friedhelm Wiesmann can’t seem to let go of the car completely.
Although first he and then his brother gave up building their own roadsters and coupes in 2012 after almost 25 years and more than 1600 cars, both had left the Dülmen company with the characteristic headquarters in the shape of a gecko before the company filed for bankruptcy in 2014.
But apparently neither retirement nor the life of the marketing and sales consultant, who wanted to bring young companies from all sectors to the market, suited him in his late sixties. That’s why it didn’t take much more than a call from an old BMW connection to reawaken the virus that had once turned the textile merchant into one of the most dazzling German car manufacturers.
Because long before there was an Audi R8 or an AMG GT, the MF4 and MF5 built with BMW technology were the “it” cars of stars and athletes. With clever guerrilla marketing, the two brothers have put their cars in the limelight everywhere – whether at the tennis tournament or the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Because he apparently missed that just as much as the smell of petrol and the high revs, Wiesmann willingly followed the advice of BMW Connection and drove to tiny Welden, where he was advised to visit the Käs family.
A few years ago, father Harald and son Michael caused a stir in the village just outside Augsburg with their Everytimer, which revived the legendary BMW 2002 based on a one-seater convertible. The headlines were big, but the success was rather modest. And the project wasn’t thought through to the end, says Wiesmann in retrospect. After all, how should one be successful and long-term if the basis for the conversion to a classic car can only be obtained as a used car?
The independent body with the typical hip swing at the rear is made of carbon.
The Boldmen CR4 has an output of 408 hp.
But he had just as few doubts about the constructive talent of the two as about their manual skills – and he was right in the middle of the adventure of automobile construction again, and the quiet old age has to wait first. Instead of playing golf or traveling around the world, as other retirees like to do, he was suddenly back to design drafts and construction sketches.
And because he is only one of three and the Wiesmann name now also belongs to the successors in Dülmen, a new brand had to be created: Boldmen – bold men – is therefore now on the Roadster, with which production this summer for prizes started at around 185,000 euros.
And the three gentlemen and their handful of employees are always bold when they want to start a small series production of a maximum of 120 vehicles a year in expensive Germany of all places, operate in a comparatively low price segment by these standards and, on top of that, ignore the trend towards electric cars. Because while start-ups are vying for the rich and famous everywhere with new electric vehicles, the prevented PS retiree and his two partners only serve the petrolheads. “As long as we can, we’ll remain loyal to the combustion engine and only think about an electric vehicle later,” says Wiesmann.
Wiesmann didn’t want to get involved in the eternal arms race in the fast lane and instead opted for a good portion of understatement. And unlike the MF4 and MF5, there is only the roadster. In addition, the new car is handier than before and competes in a different price segment.
But basically the Boldmen CR4 is a typical Wiesmann. Because this two-seater is also based on BMW technology. Except that this time it wasn’t the M3 and M5 that had to serve as parts donors, but the Z4. The BMW as a basis may be due to the experience that both Wiesmann and the Käsens have with the models from Munich, and to the preferences of the trio.
Where others work with plastic, a lot of leather is used in the CR4.
The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h takes 3.9 seconds.
But there are also technical reasons, says Wiesmann: Because the Z4 also provides the basis for the Toyota Supra, the car is designed to be easier to convert than usual: All body parts are detached from the structure and can be easily replaced. And that suits the Boldmen trio. Finally, the Z4 is completely stripped and re-clothed during the weeks of manual work in the Welden workshop.
Of course, at €185,000, the CR4 is more than twice as expensive as the Z4 M40i on which the Boldmen is based. But there is also a lot more car: more power, because the trio now wrests 408 instead of 340 hp from the three-liter six-cylinder engine with a new chipset. More driving fun because the sprint to 100 km/h takes 3.9 seconds with 610 instead of 500 Nm, which is six tenths faster. And above all, more attention to detail: the unique body with the typical hip curve at the rear is made of carbon and gives the customer all the options when it comes to choosing the color.
And where you still see plenty of plastic in the BMW cockpit, with the Boldmen every component, really every component, is covered with leather. There’s also a new set-up for the chassis and steering that wants to emphasize the passionate character of the open-top Gran Turismo.
Just like back in the 1990s, Wiesmann is still touring through the luxury oases of the rich and famous and asking people to take test drives on Sylt or Lake Starnberg. And it certainly fills him with joy and satisfaction that he showed it to everyone again with the Boldmen. Because while the new Wiesman is only available as an announcement and as a prototype, the Boldmen CR4 has long been finished.