Thursday 23rd August 2012

Melkus files for bankruptcy

Slow sales force tiny German sports car maker to file for insolvency

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Low volume German sports car manufacturer Melkus has filed for bankruptcy.
The company is reported to have filed for insolvency at a district court in Germany following slow sales for its Lotus Elise-based RS2000 sports car.

The original 1969 Melkus RS1000

The marque was originally founded in the 1960s by racing driver Heinz Melkus and was resurrected by grandson Sepp Melkus in 2006. The original plan was to build 25 cars per year, but how many have been built to date is unclear.

Created as a successor to the 1969 Melkus RS1000, the GRP-bodied, Gullwing door-equipped RS2000 has been built to order in 325hp GT trim or 375hp GTS trim with a price tag of over 100,000 Euros.

Melkus Sportwagen GmbH has around 10 employees at their factory in Dresden.
The company says a recovery is "well within the bounds of possibility" and is currently searching for investors in an effort to continue.

[sunsurfer]

As the cliche goes...
"How do you make a small fortune with a sports car company?
Start with a large fortune."

This is a shame. The more different cars in the world, the better.

[tinkertaylor]

never heard of them! what a nice looking car...shame

[F1GTRUeno]

100 grand plus for a rebodied Elise was never gonna work though was it?

[monthefish]

"Low volume ****** sports car manufacturer ****** has filed for bankruptcy"

Yet another.

On one hand it is a real shame that small low volume sports car manufacturers can't prosper in this day and age, as the car world is all the better for them, but the formula is impossibly hard to get right.

[Ive]

The 375HP GTS model came with a 5 cylinder Audi turbo (RS3/TTRS) engine incl. flappy paddle gear DSG box.
That already explains part of the cost.

[GTRene]

the interior is very nice too.





here you can see it better (interior)

[Rotary Madness]

Side profile looks like a corvette that's been put in a hot wash. Still a pretty little thing.

[B10]

Two small German car companies gone this year. Shows that Germany is not immune. Low volume car manufacture is a risky business at the best of times.

[Frimley111R]

[redacted]

[timewatch]

WHAT????

A German company going into liquidation when Germans are loaded at the minute according to RT TV & BBC!!!!!!!!

Unbelievable!

SchieBe'

TW>>>

[dylan39]

What a shame. Okay the price was never right, but in the same way that the main manufacturers are exploiting the 'HV' type aluminium construction type architecture, so it is a great playground for the likes of Melkus to create superb little alternatives to the elise. Its almost a shame lotus/other dont make the rolling chassis available to the privateer to build their own shell onto, because with CAD/machining etc becoming more and more acessible we could see all sorts of little 'specials' out there. Okay so it wouldnt do much for lotus reputation (there would be sure to be some abominations!) - Hey, it would be just like the 1930s/40s with all those little austin seven 'specials'

[edo]

Interior looks like the car is based on an Elise?

[Dr Interceptor]

Amazing really for such a small manufacturer to engineer in features like airbags, DSG gearboxes etc... I guess the huge development costs, and cost of using off the shelf items from the likes of Audi eventually just made it non viable.

[edo]

Dr Interceptor said:

Amazing really for such a small manufacturer to engineer in features like airbags, DSG gearboxes etc... I guess the huge development costs, and cost of using off the shelf items from the likes of Audi eventually just made it non viable.

The steering wheel airbag is entirely self contained and looks to be straight out of an Elise/Exige.

[Captain Muppet]

edo said:

Interior looks like the car is based on an Elise?

The words in the article also look like the cars is based on an Elise.

[Dutch_Cerbera]

think the old ones look OK.

the new ones were just way to much money for a Lotus Elise (same problem for the Tesla, i think)

[gofasterrosssco]

Someone familiar to the Elise variants will spot a good few interior parts used, or used and re-trimmed, including the steering wheel / airbag, part of the dash, gauge cluster, seats etc.

Thats no bad thing IMHO if it allows smaller cottage (or what ever the German cottage equivalent is?) industry car makers to concentrate their resources on making interesting versions, with different bodies, powertrains etc.. 5-pot Audi engine sounds particularly sweet (and rapid)..

I'm sure the company wasn't making alot of money from the car, but its still expensive vs. home grown 'big brand' rivals.. Shame.

[Oddball RS]

Its a real shame when anyones dreams end up like this, i'm guessing there are tears and a lot of sorrow involved.

[Cotty]

It does look nice but like others have said, way to much money for what it is.

[Asterix]

gofasterrosssco said:

Someo(or what ever the German cottage equivalent is?) .

Dunno - Chalet perhaps.