I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… you can pretty much expect to see anything on four wheels when you get near the Nürburgring. One of the best examples of this limitlessness is the fact we were walking towards our parked car, and the words that came out of my mouth were “[expletive-laden exclamation deleted] Is that an Isdera?”
Of course it was. The car turning from the intersection was a silver Isdera Imperator 108i.
I was blown away.
Isdera, short for Ingenieurbüro für Styling, DEsign und RAcing, was given the task of building a production version of the late-1970s CW311 concept car with Mercedes-Benz backing. You could call it an outsourced BMW M1 competitor, if you will. The CW311 was designed by Isdera head Eberhard Schulz, so it was likely he got what he wanted out of the deal.
Judging by large slats above the front wheels and the covered headlights, I could later identify this car as the 1991-1993 model, with a 32-valve Mercedes-Benz AMG V8. I do not know whether the car here had the 5.6-litre or the six-litre engine, whose power outputs range from 243hp to 302 hp, with the latter achieving a 320km/h top speed and a 0-100 km/h acceleration in five seconds.
This photo, albeit shoddy in execution due to my enthusiasm, shows you the unique periscope rear view mirror.
So far, I consider this Isdera to be one of the best sightings I’ve reported for this site. I loved it.
Yet, it wouldn’t be Nürburgring if I didn’t spot yet another Isdera at the entrance of the track. This one, the Spyder, appears to be the 033i-16 version with the Mercedes-Benz Cosworth 2.3 16-valve engine from the 190E 2.3-16.
While both of the cars are somehow submarine-like, the dimensions of the Spyder are wackier than the fixed-roof one.
And despite being saddled with a four-cylinder engine, and not producing a V8 rumble, the car still stands out amongst the world of true supercar weirdness.
The interior is definitely one from a low-production sports car, and wouldn’t be far from something that utilized a Volkswagen Beetle basic structure.
You could fit a jet ski on that rear deck. Interestingly, Mercedes-Benz taillights could be seen also on the VW GTI-engined versions.
The guys paid for their laps, put on their helmets and headed for a couple quick outings on the ‘Ring. A thumbs-up was definitely deserved.
[Images: Copyright 2013 Hooniverse/Antti Kautonen]
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