Wiesmann Project Thunderball specs confirmed
Electric sports cars are still as rare as hen’s teeth, but they are on their way and the car you see here will be among them. The long-promised electric car from German independent Wiesmann, Project Thunderball, marries retro roadster looks with the latest in electric technology for an intriguing, if expensive, new sporting proposition.
It is truly difficult to conceive a new car that looks less like what we’ve come to expect from an EV, with its classically inspired body and traditional two-seat, rear-drive roadster layout. That long bonnet was originally designed to house a V8 from BMW’s M division – that was when this car first saw the light of day as Project Thunderbolt.
The upgrade to the Thunderball comes courtesy of a new aluminium platform housing a whopping stack of batteries and a pair of electric motors. The motors boast a total of 680PS (500kW) with torque peaking at 1,100Nm (811lb ft). That all gets send to the rear tyres via a single-speed gearbox and limited-slip diff – two very hard-working tyres, for it appears there is no torque vectoring here.
There should be plenty to keep the driver busy then, in line with Wiesmann’s focus on an immersive driving experience rather than simply bruising acceleration. Even so, 680PS and a mountain of instant torque in a carbon fibre-bodied machine weighing 1,700kg could hardly fail to be quick, and so it proves. Wiesmann is targeting 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds.
The company says one of the ways it has engineered in added driver involvement is in its system of regenerative braking. Five levels of regen are available from a lot to a little and all accessed by a familiar set of paddles on the steering column. Wiesmann likens the system to a five-speed gearbox, with max regen the equivalent of a lower gear for engine braking.
In keeping with the firm’s reputation for engineering integrity and what by all accounts is an impressive assembly plant in Germany, the Project Thunderball comes across as more than a simple conversion from petrol to electric. Indeed, Wiesmann claims its new baby is the world’s first ground-up developed electric two-seat convertible, a little ironic since this is where the electric car revolution took off for enthusiasts with the influential but short-lived Tesla Roadster.
The Thunderball gets a bespoke chassis that sites the two motors in a mid-rear position and the 500kg of battery modules in a T shape up the centre of the car towards the front, the aims being a low centre of gravity and equitable weight distribution. The battery is a large 92kWh job with an in-house designed cooling system and 800-volt architecture to allow for rapid charging. Targeted range is 310 miles.
Wiesmann chief executive Roheen Berry says the Project Thunderball will “put the emotion back into EVs.” He adds: “The continued development of Project Thunderball is bringing Wiesmann ever closer to the goal of producing what will be the world’s most exciting electric sports car.”
It’s not cheap though. While a stack of relatively affordable electric sports cars is already beginning to materialise – Porsche Boxster, MG and reborn Tesla Roadster among them – Wiesmann is claiming the high ground. The Project Thunderball is priced from €300,000 (about £260,000). But then the company says three quarters of the first year’s production is accounted for. Jaguar or Healey sports car style mixed with Tesla-level power and performance in a package aimed at drivers is already a hit it seems.
Wiesmann
Project Thunderball
EV
Electric Avenue
