Monday, October 09, 2006

Melkus marque lives again

East German sports car builder Melkus founded by designer and racecar driver Heinz Melkus reopened its doors under the direction of Peter and Sepp Melkus as Melkus Sports Car Kg in May 2006. Currently starting production of a limited edition reproduction of the marque's RS 1000 originally produced between 1968 and 1979 the father and son team are planning an all-new sports car for launch in 2008.

The RS 2000 evokes many of the styling cues of the RS 1000 notably its gull-wing doors. Prototypes will be developed by Melkus in cooperation with the Technical University of Dresden beginning in January 2007 with the production version scheduled to for its debut in the spring of 2008.

The RS 2000 is envisioned as a lightweight mid-engined two-seater coupe built on a tube-frame chassis with integrated roll bar. The suspension design follows current racecar practice featuring dual a-arms front and rear with pushrods actuating inboard-mounted springs and dampers. Powered by a so-far-unspecified four-cylinder engine putting out between 130 and 200 hp through a six-speed transmission with a target weight of less than 2200 lb the RS 2000 should sprint from 0-62 mph in about 5 seconds.

Melkus plans to limit production of its hand-built cars to around 25 per year with a target price in the neighborhood of 75000 Euro (about $95000). More pics after the jump.

[Source: Melkus via MotorAuthority.com]