Rare Rides: An Extremely Rare Isdera Imperator 108i From 1991

Corey Lewis
by Corey Lewis

You might recall Rare Rides featured an Isdera not long ago, a silver Spyder 036i from 1991. Today we return to the exclusive German marque to learn about their flagship sports coupe.

Let’s check out the Imperator.

The Imperator was the basis for the rebodied and roofless Spyder 036i. The Imperator entered production in 1984, and was at its base the reason Eberhard Schulz created the Isdera company. Though the brand’s first offering was the Spyder 033 in 1982, the Imperator had its roots in a Mercedes concept made before Isdera existed.

The Mercedes-Benz CW311 design study debuted in 1978 and was never intended for production. Solely a technical exercise, the striking CW311 was penned by Schulz himself. Schulz was previously an engineer at Mercedes, but at the time was employed at Porsche. He drew up the CW311 during his free time. The design stuck with Schulz, who pestered Mercedes about releasing their ownership of the design to him so he could build it. They relented, and Schulz set about making the CW311 come to life. Imperator was a go.

Imperator was made from a fiberglass shell over a space frame made of tubular steel. The design was not changed much from the original CW311. Initially, the Imperator used a roof-mounted rear-view periscope instead of door mirrors but said door mirrors replaced the periscope (optionally) in a 1991 refresh. The coupe’s gullwing doors were lifted straight from the CW311’s design, though its headlamps were initially sealed with clear lenses instead of the CW’s drop-down headlamp doors. The aforementioned 1991 refresh brought along the original headlamp look from the CW311.

The Imperator’s V8 was in the middle and drove the rear wheels, but the engine used varied by model year. Initially an M117 5.0-liter V8, the first Imperators could travel to 60 in five seconds flat, and on to a top speed of 176. Engine developments at Mercedes flowed to the Imperator too, and later on, the 108i was fitted with the 5.6-liter version of the M117, as well as 5.0- and 6.0-liter examples of AMG-tuned V8s for even more Germanic thrust. One transmission was available throughout its life: a five-speed manual by ZF from the Mercedes lineup.

Imperator was built slowly and methodically and remained in production through 1993 before its replacement by the even crazier Commendatore. In the end, a total of 30 Imperators were produced. Of those, roughly 17 were facelift cars like today’s ’91 example. Priced by request, it’s presently available in left-hand drive and located in London.

[Images: Isdera]

Corey Lewis
Corey Lewis

Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.

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  • 28-Cars-Later 28-Cars-Later on Jun 15, 2021

    Great piece, I had never heard of this and I want one. I know I keep derailing you but I feel this sick, sick person needs to be covered (its even named "Christine"): https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/d/irwin-for-sale-or-trade-2005-chrysler/7336834916.html

    • See 3 previous
    • ToolGuy ToolGuy on Jun 15, 2021

      @28-Cars-Later a) "She NEEDS to be Washed and Detailed, because I don't have time to do so, so she's Dirty, BUT there is absolutely 100% NO RUST WHATSOEVER!!!!!" b) "She currently has a Check Engine Light for Codes that make absolutely no sense whatsoever, even the Dealership can't find anything Wrong, but they aren't for anything Major whatsoever and I can show you what they are with my Scanner." This guy was trolling me HARD. Call it a moment of weakness. (Sincerely hoping I get outbid.) [Also possible that I'm full of crap. :-)]

  • Goatshadow Goatshadow on Jun 16, 2021

    Absolutely gorgeous car, outside and in.

  • Corey Lewis Think how dated this 80s design was by 1995!
  • Tassos Jong-iL Communist America Rises!
  • Merc190 A CB7 Accord with the 5 cylinder
  • MRF 95 T-Bird Daihatsu Copen- A fun Kei sized roadster. Equipped with a 660cc three, a five speed manual and a retractable roof it’s all you need. Subaru Levorg wagon-because not everyone needs a lifted Outback.
  • Merc190 I test drive one of these back in the day with an automatic, just to drive an Alfa, with a Busso no less. Didn't care for the dash design, would be a fun adventure to find some scrapped Lancia Themas or Saab 900's and do some swapping to make car even sweeter. But definitely lose the ground effects.
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