Two brothers left the 1985 Essen Motor Show wanting to build their own sports car, and they picked a gecko as its badge because they wanted it to stick to the road.
- Country
-
Germany - Active
- 1988
- Founded by
- Martin Wiesmann, Friedhelm Wiesmann
- Website
- Official website ↗
Two brothers and a motor show
It started with a day out. After visiting the Essen Motor Show in 1985, brothers Martin and Friedhelm Wiesmann decided to design and build their own sports car. The plan, in Wiesmann’s own words, was to fuse the look of a classic British roadster with state of the art German technology.
The company was officially formed in 1988 and carries the family name. In 1990 it moved into its first dedicated factory, in Telgenkamp, and the first car, the Roadster later known as the MF3, was unveiled in 1993. That same year it was shown at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. Quite a stage for a first car.
Under the long bonnets sat engines from BMW. The MF3, for example, used the S54 straight six from the BMW M3, and Wiesmann says it stayed in production for 18 years, longer than any other Wiesmann.
Why a gecko?
Geckos can walk up walls. That was the point. Wiesmann says the founders wanted a car that stuck to the road so well it would almost defy the laws of physics, so they adopted the gecko as the Wiesmann logo. Independent reports tell the same story: the lizard on the badge symbolises the way the car sticks to the road.
So the meaning is not a puzzle. There is no hidden letter and no coat of arms here, just a small animal famous for its grip.
A factory shaped like the badge
Most brands put the logo on the building. Wiesmann made the building into the logo. In 2008 the company opened a new factory in Dülmen, and its design was modelled after the gecko badge. Wiesmann calls it by its nickname, the Gecko, and press reports from the time describe a huge wooden structure in the shape of the lizard. Since 2008, every Wiesmann has been built there.
Hand-built, BMW-powered, gecko-badged
Wiesmann says its cars are built in-house, by hand, in small and owner-focused runs. The badge stayed the same while the engines grew from six cylinders to ten.
Landmark Wiesmanns, from roadster to electric
- 1993: Roadster MF3. The first Wiesmann. Its production ended with a Final Edition created with the design agency SIEGER.
- 2005: GT MF4. Premiered at the IAA in Frankfurt as the marque’s first coupe, with a BMW V8.
- 2008: GT MF5. First shown at the Geneva Motor Show, the same year the Dülmen factory opened.
- 2009: Roadster MF5. Unveiled at the IAA. According to Wiesmann, the Roadster MF5 V10 was its most exclusive model, with only 43 built.
- 2022: Project Thunderball. An all-electric two-seat convertible, revealed online in April 2022 and shown in public a month later in Cannes.
Then came a break. Wiesmann had a brief closure in 2014, and in 2016 it was bought by Contec Global, led by Roheen Berry. Project Thunderball was the first new car of that era. Planned 2024 sales did not happen, and in 2025 the company told Autocar it remained committed to building the car.
Wiesmann has always worn its British inspiration openly, and Top Gear once pitted the Roadster against the TVR Tuscan. For more on how badges like the gecko come about, see how car logos are designed.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Wiesmann gecko logo mean?
According to Wiesmann, the founders chose the gecko because they wanted a car that stuck to the road so well it would almost defy the laws of physics. The gecko stands for that grip.
Who founded Wiesmann?
The brothers Martin and Friedhelm Wiesmann. The idea came after a visit to the 1985 Essen Motor Show, and the company was officially formed in 1988.
Is the Wiesmann factory really shaped like a gecko?
Yes. The factory in Dülmen, opened in 2008, was modelled after the gecko logo and is nicknamed the Gecko.
Whose engines did Wiesmann use?
BMW’s. The MF3 used the six-cylinder engine of the BMW M3, and later models used BMW V8 and V10 engines.
Sticky feet and BMW hearts
- Founded
- 1988
- Founder
- Martin Wiesmann, Friedhelm Wiesmann
- Country
- Germany
- Headquarters
- Dülmen, Germany
- Parent company
- Contec Global
- Current emblem
- A gecko, chosen by the founders to symbolise grip on the road
- Known for
- Hand-built BMW-powered roadsters and coupes, and a gecko-shaped factory
- Status
- Revived
- Website
- Official website ↗
