Isdera, the most unusual sports car manufacturer of the ’80s, resumed operations without informing anyone.

      Slightly-imposible via Reddit

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      If you enjoy quirky boutique sports cars from the ’80s and ’90s, you might already be aware of Isdera. Established by a former engineer from Porsche, Isdera manufactured Mercedes-powered vehicles with unconventional designs, culminating in the unique Commendatore 112i, a bullet-shaped supercar that never reached production as intended. The brand spent decades in a vague state until its name was eventually taken over by an electric vehicle startup in China. Reportedly, they have a new car on the horizon, but we might not have known about it if a Reddit user hadn’t discovered it.

      The blue sports car you see in these images is the L’Aquila, which follows the Commendatore GT, an electric coupe developed in partnership with WM Motor in 2018. Today, the brand is managed by Xinghui Automotive Technology, which seems to have launched the L’Aquila back in June. Oddly, if you visit Isdera’s website, there’s no information or promotion regarding this car.

      For this reason, I cannot provide details about the power or price of the L’Aquila; I can’t even confirm if it uses electric motors or a conventional engine, as Isdera is targeting both markets, according to the aforementioned press release.

      For what it’s worth, I find its design acceptable, though undeniably rather generic. Before the L’Aquila, this latest version of the company produced the Imperator Concept, which was inspired by the Spyder 033i and Imperator 108i models that initially drew attention to Isdera in the ’80s. I can see some hints of that heritage in the side windows, but that’s about it. The original Imperator resembled a supercar from a futuristic world, while this new model looks like what you might expect if you asked Hyundai's design team to give a contemporary twist to the Alfa Romeo SZ.

      The new Imperator Concept, on the left, paired with a 1991 Imperator 108i that was auctioned in Monterey two years ago. Isdera, Broad Arrow Auctions

      So, yes, it’s challenging to piece together what exactly is happening with Isdera today. The remaining German portion of the company, Isdera AG, declared bankruptcy in April, just two months before the L’Aquila was first unveiled in China. Isdera AG has its own website, which is also in English and mostly promotes design and engineering consulting services. It seems to conclude the brand’s narrative with the Commendatore GT, presumably because it represents the last original vehicle this branch of the company was involved with. It features a starkly minimalist new logo that makes the failed Cracker Barrel rebrand look like an Art Nouveau masterpiece—though that’s neither here nor there.

      Isdera has always intrigued me because everything about the company, from its past to its creations, seems intentionally enigmatic. Consider that after the decline of the Commendatore 112i, they built this twin-V8 behemoth. Although today's Isdera is not directly related to the car I will always associate with Need for Speed II, it certainly makes sense that even in this post-acquisition phase, we still have little understanding of what Isdera truly represents, let alone any insight into its future direction.

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