Wednesday 16th September 2009

Melkus Returns With RS2000

Exclusive new gullwing sports car makes a splash

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New Melkus costs over €100k

Mercedes isn't the only company showing off a pair of gullwing doors at the Frankfurt motor show this year. Check out this intriguing little number which marks the return of the Melkus name badge, last seen on a road car 30 years ago.

German racing car company Melkus ceased production of its former RS1000 road sports model way back in 1979, and the new RS2000 revealed at the show yesterday marks a return to the sector that has been masterminded by the latest member of the Melkus clan to take the reins at the company - Sepp Melkus is the grandson of company founder Heinz Melkus.

Lotus links unmistakeable

'For optimal implementation of the project a tested and self-supporting aluminium chassis was found', the company says, and in spite of the gullwinged-lid it's not hard to see the relationship to the Lotus product line.

Under the bespoke fibreglass and partial carbon fibre body panels lies the same supercharged 1.8 Toyota as used by Lotus but with power bumped up to 270PS. With weight kept to 950kgs Melkus claims a 0-62mph time of 4.9secs and a 250km/h maximum.

The RS200 comes with a luxury bespoke leather interior, as well as luxuries like air-con, and the company will build one for you for 107,500 Euros. Melkus says it only intends to build 25 examples per year, so it will definitely have exclusivity on its side.

The Melkus RS1000 from 1979

 

[Staffy1984]

Looks nice, will probably handle well, would want a bit more bang for my buck, but appreciate that this is a limited run machine.

[MrTappets]

Glass-fibre body, 1.8l engine... 107,500euro? Thought this sort of misguided optimism was only found on an industrial estate in the midlands!

[juansolo]

Sort of A RUF-Lotus if you like. I like the looks of it. But the price tag stupidly high when you consider the competition at that level and that you can get an Elise SC for a little more than a third of the money.

[thehardman07]

The article says it's called the rs2000, then later the rs200. Whichever one, I can't see Ford being too happy about it......

[Wolfsbait]

MrTappets said:

Glass-fibre body, 1.8l engine... 107,500euro? Thought this sort of misguided optimism was only found on an industrial estate in the midlands!

+ 1

What a pointless little car...

[odyssey2200]

Wolfsbait said:

MrTappets said:

Glass-fibre body, 1.8l engine... 107,500euro? Thought this sort of misguided optimism was only found on an industrial estate in the midlands!

+ 1

What a pointless little car...

have a few more


Way too expensive!!!

[daimo_45]

So they're selling something for twice as much as an Exige but with a slightly poorer driver experience no doubt?

[Cathar]

So this uses the Elise tub and engine? And adds leather and doors worth 70000 quid.

[UncappedTag]

Let me get it right. They get a light weight Lotus, add leather and reinforce the roof for the gull wing doors.

Then charge over 100k.

Pointless.

[jp-speed-triple]

Don't demon tweeks sell silly door kits in their chav department? And you can get your exige re trimmed for pea nuts...its not tlike there is a lot to re trim!

come on...who are they trying to kid?

[Lightningman]

jp-speed-triple said:

come on...who are they trying to kid?

...but it is orange and has a stripe down the body; where do I sign up?!?...

[Stevie Mojo]

RS2000? Somebody had better tell them!

[bobberz]

Looks like an Exige, Noble M400, Ford GT, and an aging DeLorean decided to have an orgy! Interesting in a way, but 100 grand? Fiberglass? 4cyl? Does not compute!!!

[mat205125]

The Evora, McLaren, Ascari, Exige, Farbio, 458 etc etc etc shape has been done to death now hasn't it?

I'm embarassed to admit that I sometimes to struggle to spot the differences without reading the magazine headline, or waiting for the car to pass the see it's badge or signature light clusters / exhausts.

[Andy T]

all of those cars are basically an Elise chassis with some god-awful cheap looking body panels slapped all over them.

Funny isn't it that a 12 year old design is still the blueprint for performance cars today.

Even the new McLaren has exactly the same tub that the elise does only it's carbonfibre and they're calling it revolutionary!

[odyssey2200]

Andy T said:

all of those cars are basically an Elise chassis with some god-awful cheap looking body panels slapped all over them.

Funny isn't it that a 12 year old design is still the blueprint for performance cars today.

Even the new McLaren has exactly the same tub that the elise does only it's carbonfibre and they're calling it revolutionary!

You could apply that to all cars.

All old cars had a ladder chassis at one time, then technology advances and monocoque bodies became the norm.
All cars were RWD then the Mini came along and now all small cars are super minis and most cars are FWD with a transverse engine.
A 2 seat sports car is small enough to use a tub and that has now become the standard.
The lotus and new Mclaren may have a similar concept but the Lotus uses alloy and the Mclaren used Carbon Fibre so hardly "exactly the same"

[RJDM3]

So they take a lotus elise/exige chassis and majoriy of the interior, drss it up and add some power and want 107,000 euros.....what planet are they on!?

[odyssey2200]

RJDM3 said:

So they take a lotus elise/exige chassis and majoriy of the interior, drss it up and add some power and want 107,000 euros.....what planet are they on!?

damn! you saw right through their cunning marketing plan!

[Richard A]

After the fall of the GDR, the Melkus family set up as a large BMW dealership on the east side of Dresden, then quickly added a Lotus franchise as a sideline, so they are very familiar with the Elise. In fact the only Europa I have ever seen in the flesh was parked outside their dealership. I went there (in my Elise) in late 2006 to have a look at one of the limited run of 15 reproduction RS 1000s that they built recently. Had I had the necessary, I would have ordered a new RS 1000 myself, around 75 bhp hotted up Wartburg 2-stroke engine in a minimalist 700kg car. Doesn't compare to an Elise peformance-wise, but sounds amazing and handles very well and I've always looked on the ability to row along effectively in a low powered car as the mark of a good driver.

Not so sure about the RS 2000, it's certainly pricey, but the build quality of the RS 1000 was very good.

[Belfast Boy]

bobberz said:

Looks like an Exige, Noble M400, Ford GT, and an aging DeLorean decided to have an orgy! Interesting in a way, but 100 grand? Fiberglass? 4cyl? Does not compute!!!

LMAO!!! but at least the Delorean is aging pretty well I dont think this will!

Caught my Delorean and the 300zx at it like dogs the other week!