Wiesmann Project Thunderball EV Prototype Fuses Past and Future

As the world’s large OEMs throw about nine- and even 10-figure sums building new EV architectures, a small German company seems to have quietly stolen a march on all of them. Because while there are plenty of fully electric sedans, SUVs, crossovers, and even supercars for global buyers to choose between, there aren’t any roadsters beyond restomods of existing cars. German maker Wiesmann hopes to deliver the first since the original Tesla Roadster, with the car you see here. The first incarnation of the Wiesmann company, founded in 1988, offered possible proof of the existence of the German sense of humor. The brand’s retro range was clearly inspired by British coupes and roadsters from the 1950s and ’60s, even featuring a radiator grille closely inspired by Jaguar’s “toilet seat“ of the period. But while real English sports cars from this era had fragile electrics and weepy engines, Wiesmann used modern BMW powerplants. And from 2003 onward, it built its cars on an advance