1 of 1 1993 Isdera Commendatore 112i - Villa d'Este 2021

During the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2021 I have filmed this unique Isdera Commendatore 112i.
The story behind Isdera’s Commendatore originates in 1971, when a young Eberhard Schulz drove his homemade sportscar, the Erator GTE, to Porsche and Mercedes-Benz and persuaded them to give him a job in their design department.
Despite working for Porsche, Schulz developed in his spare time a concept which should be considered as a successor to the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. After departing Porsche, Eberhard Schulz joined B&B GmbH & Co Auto KG in Frankfurt/Main which allowed Schulz to finish the development and to build one prototype the CW311 which was shown in 1978 at the IAA at Frankfurt. After splitting from B&B, in 1982 Schulz setup his own company for small-series production, design and engineering services and named it Isdera. Starting with the Isdera Spyder, the dream of Schulz was always to introduce the road going version of the CW311. Eventually in 1983 the car was launched as Imperator 108i. Less than 20 examples were produced between 1983 and 1991, all built to order with each car taking a year to construct.
Unveiled in 1993 and named in honor of Enzo Ferrari himself, the Commendatore 112i was a far more thoroughbred affair than the Imperator it replaced: under the rear gullwing engine cover nestled a 6.0-litre Mercedes-Benz M120 V-12 engine, which had dual overhead camshafts and was capable of in excess of 400 bhp. Mercedes-Benz had never developed a manual for the M120, so power was channeled to the rear wheels via a bespoke flywheel, driving a specially adapted version of a RUF Porsche gearbox by adding a sixth gear to achieve the desired max speed of 340km/h.
To minimize mass, the bodywork for the Commendatore was made out of GRP, whilst the chassis was a no-frills spaceframe affair that connected to the road by a similar suspension setup to the Porsche 928, albeit with an active function developed together with BBS and Bilstein that lowered the car by 3 inches at speed to reduce drag. Schulz was so concerned with reducing drag that Isdera developed a windscreen wiper and a periscope mirror was favored in place of conventional wing mirrors; it was no secret that the 112i had sights on racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where there was a premium on straight line speed for the Mulsanne sections. When tested in the Mercedes-Benz wind tunnel, the car returned a drag coefficient of just 0.306 in road going form, which unlocked a top speed the interesting side of the magic 200 mph barrier.
Sadly for Schulz, 1993 also coincided with an economic slump in Japan where the majority of Isdera’s funding originated and the company was forced into restructuring. As a result, the dream of participating at Le Mans vanished, as the Commendatore 112i was meant to homologate a Le Mans-eligible racing car. Fortunately, the project was somehow rescued by a Swiss consortium who took the original Commendatore to the 1999 Frankfurt IAA six years later, under a new name - ‘the Silver Arrow’. Gone though were the two-piece BBS racing wheels and the periscope rear view mirrors, replaced with more conventional five twin spoke alloys and wing mirrors like found on the CLK GTR. The car was also featured in the 1997 videogame Need for Speed II helping to build its cult following.
In the ensuing decade, the car was only offered for sale once by a renowned Swiss collector in 2005, who had owned the car since the 1999. By the end of 2016, Isdera managed to re-acquire it and set about returning it to its correct 1993 specification. It is in this guise that the car is offered for sale today. It boasts its correct BBS wheels, which had to be specially commissioned, Porsche Arctic Silver paintwork, Recaro blue and black trim and most importantly, the iconic Isdera periscope rear view mirror. Today, it has covered less than 10,500 km from new. Having been rebuilt with road-use in mind, the car is currently registered in Germany and was previously registered in Switzerland, showcasing that this is no museum piece, and a car best enjoyed on the open road. It is accompanied by an intriguing history file, as well as its certificate of authenticity from Isdera, confirming it to be the only example in existence.
Offered directly from Isdera, this is undoubtably one of the most interesting one-off automobiles built in the 1990’s. Modern one-off such as the Commendatore 112i are truly few and far between the automotive landscape and this car’s significance will surely only grow with time. It would not be surprising to see the Commendatore 112i attracting lots of attention at concours events in the coming years, alongside comparable boutique supercars developed in the 1990s, such as the Koenigsegg CC8S or Pagani Zonda C12s.
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Michael - Automotive Mike
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[@OmerSaidtr]

It was one of my biggest childhood mysteries as to why this was the only car without a showcase video at NFS 2.

[@XaviSpit]

A true unicorn 🤤 PD: Need For Speed II vibes...

[@nandan580i]

A car that was ~20years ahead of its time. Truly a LEGEND.

[@DtRockstar1]

This totally deserves more views. Such an icon.

[@poutinegod2564]

My buddy saw it in Malibu yesterday. He just about shit his pants and got a few nice pics

[@brienfoaboutanything9037]

Interesting about Isdera: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qn65oJJum8xrqZI

[@Ministry_0f_Truth]

Beautiful. Was my favourite in NFS II. 🙂 I wish they did a modern version of it with more or less the same design (but not electric).

[@diablow1411]

I think Pagani Huayra did take a few cues from Commendatore 112i when it comes to styling, considering they used the same engine for Zonda back in 2000.

[@bicyclist2]

I love this car so much. It's the best German car ever made. This is the definition of "Unicorn". Thank you.

[@Davidicbloodlineguy420]

Love this icon brings back memories ❤

[@pauljr.harrington1905]

This car is now here in the United States and it's actually being driven. I got to see the Commendatore 112i in person at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

[@leoborn4013]

It isn’t. It belongs to the German ISDERA AG again and it’s kept there. There’s a second built car, which was completed in Germany in 2018 based off a second frame from 1993. ISDERA had some personal problems with the builder of the second one and personally does not see it as an ISDERA. Maybe that version goes around the US.

[@jakobsemajergaric]

@@leoborn4013 The second built car is a white version, and this replica is somewhere in Germany. The actual Commendatore 112i was sold for €1,113,125 in 2019 and currently belongs to Phillip Sarofilm. His collection is in LA. You can see Phillip showing his Commendatore 112i from 09:55 in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJjUlaCrm8d1ntksi=1rMa6kuCDBDAANad.

[@Thiagohayabusa]

Gorgeous

[@mariuszkocyla2373]

Isdera and Lotec my favourite cars

[@rusher80]

i used to drive it long time ago in need for speed when I was little boy

[@revvolutions]

Clean sheet design and it still looks like a flattened beetle. Love it.

[@clemfromhell3710]

what a piece of art ! ❤

[@sonicthejetsetbeat7465]

I'm surprised this car wasn't on any other games besides Need For Speed 2. You would've think Gran Turismo & Forza Motorsport / Forza Horizon series would've chosen this car later on in a past these years. & I see a black Ferarri F50 straight ahead by the Sky Blue Bugatti! This is like a small Need For Speed 2 Reunion! 😨

[@milesr4609]

Que lindo suena!. What an amazing sound!.

[@myMotoring]

My favorite car in NFS 2

[@irfanimp]

You can easily use this masterpiece of art even in the coming centuries!. Even today, there is no design that captures this modern concept!. Magnificent!.

[@mikaeleurenius2054]

This, for me, is the most iconic exterior design among all super or hyper cars. Looks sooooo slippery and fast.

[@kaganturktur]

was always my favouritte.

[@outbook]

When car enthusiasts were car enthusiasts...

[@Hollandda]

Máquina espetacular.

[@BASSONIT]

Nice car, very

[@EdwinC-xp8mk]

I saw it today driving around in orange county ca. Had no clue what it was till i looked online

[@worminator15]

That mirror though

[@Maody66NordschleifeTV]

😍😍😍

[@Whance_Chilkins]

Good gravy, the sills on this car are 12 miles wide.

[@LarsAgerbk]

that mirror...

[@TheLambo123254]

nicee

[@yourmother9359]

NFS2 favorite car, well- after the Diablo, offcourse.

[@Stanislav7180]

Loooow

[@redxdeluxe2081]

Kann es sein, dass das Fzg. mittlerweile weiß ist? Habe es kürzlich im Bodensee-Raum gesehen

[@showeroom6469]

너무이쁘고

[@insighteins1317]

Isdera with the cheapest LEDs ever... What an insult for that car!

[@mikaeleurenius2054]

It's an hommage to the C111.

[@Ministry_0f_Truth]

2:57 is that Nigel Farage speaking? 😵‍💫

[@andromalio1983]

After seeing this futuristic hellish ship, I wonder.. why the hell they didn't use this babe for Back to the Future? its design its interior ..out of this time

[@traviswalker8933]

It didn't exist when back to the future was released.

[@Firemarioflower]

@@traviswalker8933 HAHAHA this man seems to believe that the creators of Back to the Future actually were able to go into the Future.

[@roverwaters3875]

there is a second one

[@milesr4609]

Yes, it's painted in whilte.

[@Rod54Am]

It’s not an official isdera! A replica using some genuine parts

[@milesr4609]

@@Rod54Am more like a modern version custom made recently?

[@Rod54Am]

@@milesr4609 kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5XbhKmQgJdsetk

[@Firemarioflower]

Where are its door mirrors?

[@Ministry_0f_Truth]

It has a mirror on the roof.

[@Ricys]

1 of 1.5......

[@markofilms5714]

hat mal meinem Nachbarn gehört, er hat hat erstmals gekauft, nun lebt er sehr bescheiden, alles verloren…. Albert Klöti aus Aichach bei Augsburg

[@user-zw5zj1kk7i]

スゴスギ ··· 😂