Some vehicles are more than just a way to get from one place to another. For many car fans, they are true works of art. Imagine a car built like a secret project, designed by an engineer in his spare time. That’s the story behind the Isdera Imperator 108i, a rare German supercar that brought a concept car to life.
This special car reminds us of a different time in the auto world. Back then, passion projects could become real machines. The Italian publication Motor1 recently highlighted this car, pulling it back into the spotlight. It’s a fantastic example of what happens when design dreams come true.
The Imperator 108i was built by hand, by order, between 1984 and 1993. Its roots go back to the 1978 Mercedes-Benz CW311 concept car. This concept was actually drawn in spare time by Eberhard Schulz, who was a project engineer at Porsche at the time. You can learn more about him on his Wikipedia page.
Only 30 of these cars were ever made, split into two different versions. The Imperator 108i was a very faithful copy of the CW311 concept for the road. The first cars had fixed headlights, and their taillights came from Mercedes-Benz. After a redesign in 1991, called Series 2, the car got its cool pop-up headlights back. It also gained smoother, less sharp body lines.
Imperator 108i: Inside and Out
The Imperator 108i looks really special. It has gull-wing doors, which open like a bird’s wings. The car’s body is made of fiberglass, built over a strong steel frame. It even has a periscope rearview mirror instead of typical side mirrors. This unusual feature was also seen on the famous Lamborghini Countach.
The inside of the car was very fancy. Many parts for the luxurious interior came from the Porsche 928, giving it a touch of established German luxury.
The very first Imperator 108i models ran on a Mercedes-Benz M117 V8 engine. This 5.0-liter engine made 296 horsepower. It was paired with a five-speed ZF manual gearbox. The car could hit 100 km/h (about 62 mph) in just 5.1 seconds. Its top speed was an impressive 283 km/h (176 mph).
For the later Series 2 models, Isdera used other powerful Mercedes-Benz V8 engines. These included AMG versions, some as large as 5.6 and 6.0 liters. They could produce up to 390 horsepower, often with 32-valve cylinder heads for better performance. The Imperator 108i also had independent suspension on all wheels, disc brakes on all four wheels, and power steering came standard. This level of detail shows the dedication that went into creating this rare, dream-like supercar.