You can buy this wild German supercar from the 80s, equipped with a Mercedes V-8 and gull-wing doors

• This special supercar is a 1991 Isdera Imperator 108i Series 2 and will be auctioned on February 27 in Miami via RM Sotheby’s.
• Isdera built just 30 Imperators in nine years, and they all put a Mercedes-Benz V-8 behind the passenger compartment.
• The Imperator produced around 300bhp and Isdera claimed it could go from 0 to 60mph in 5.1 seconds and reach a top speed of 175mph.

Germany has produced some of the most iconic supercars in the world, from the Porsche Carrera GT and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG to the BMW M1 and the Audi R8. With so much automotive passion within its borders, Germany is also home to plenty of lesser-known, albeit equally awesome, machines. Now one of Germany’s most striking creations, the 1991 Isdera Imperator 108i Series 2, will be auctioned later this month via RM Sotheby’s. It combines wild styling with serious performance and an intriguing history.

Isdera was founded in 1982 by a German designer named Eberhard Schulz. Initially employed at Porsche, Schulz then moved to a design firm called B+B, where he manufactured the Mercedes-Benz CW311. Created as a spiritual successor to the iconic 300SL, the concept car was originally built without approval from Mercedes before the German giant gave permission to use the iconic three-pointed star logo.

Schulz wanted to put the CW311 into production, so he started his own company and launched the Imperator 108i. Although the Imperator no longer carried a Mercedes badge, its sleek wedge shape was clearly an evolution of the CW311, and the car featured a Mercedes-Benz V-8 mounted amidships.

Only 30 Imperators would be built to varying specifications over nine years, and this 1991 example is one of the later Series 2 variants. (Isdera followed it up with something even crazier Commander 112i in 1993, with a variant of the Mercedes-Benz V-12 found in the Pagani Zonda, but only one was built before the company went bankrupt.)

The Imperator’s aerodynamic fiberglass bodywork is draped over a steel space frame and looks truly extraordinary, with its blunt front end, gull-wing doors and pop-up headlights. Deep vents are cut into the front fenders, the wheels have a unique aerodisc look and the dual side exhausts protrude just ahead of the rear wheels.

Underneath its dramatic skin, the Imperator was motivated by a Mercedes-Benz M119 32-valve, 5.0-liter V-8 engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. Power was around 300bhp, and Isdera claimed a zero to 100km/h time of 5.1 seconds and a top speed of 280km/h, impressive figures for the time.

This example was sold new to someone in Japan, although it remained left hand drive and comes with copies of the original order form and correspondence. With less than 1,400 miles on the odometer, the Imperator is expected to fetch between $650,000 and $850,000 when it goes to auction in Miami on February 27.

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Caleb Miller started blogging about cars at the age of 13, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and driver team. He enjoys quirky and obscure cars, with a goal of one day owning something as bizarre as a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsport fan.