On April 11 of this year, the small, former German car brand Isdera AG, which was sold to a Chinese investor in 2016, filed for bankruptcy at the district court in Saarbrücken.
The German cult brand Isdera has filed for bankruptcy. The company behind the Imperator 108i and Commendatore 112i filed for bankruptcy after more than 42 years with very few cars.
German luxury car brand Isdera has gone bankrupt after more than 40 years in the business. The company, known for exclusive cars such as the Imperator 108i and Commendatore 112i, has always produced cars in very small numbers.
But now it has become too small to keep the business afloat, writes the newspaper Bild .
On April 11th, Isdera AG filed for bankruptcy at the district court in Saarbrücken. This marks the end of an era for enthusiasts and collectors of the brand.
Attorney Thomas Becker from the law firm Thimmel and Partner has been appointed as provisional receiver. According to Bild, Becker has experience with this type of thing from several similar cases.
Isdera stands for "Ingenieurbüro für Styling, Design und Racing". The name reflects the company's focus on engineering and design.
The car brand was founded in 1982 by Ebert Schulz. He was a former developer at Porsche. After his time in Zuffenhausen, he founded his own car brand in the city of Leonberg. Later, Isdera moved to St. Ingbert in Saarland.
Exclusive cars and high prices
Isdera became known for creating trend-setting designs and first-class engineering. Their cars were the result of high-quality craftsmanship. Legendary models include the Imperator 108i and Commendatore 112i.
The Imperator 108i was only produced in 30 units. According to WirtschaftsWoche, the car could reach speeds of up to 310 km/h. It used modified eight-cylinder Mercedes engines with up to 410 horsepower.
After the brand's popularity waned slightly in the late 1980s, Isdera launched the Commendatore 112i in 1993. It also had a Mercedes engine, but now a twelve-cylinder version with 620 horsepower.
Prices for an Isdera typically ranged between 200,000 and 800,000 D-Mark depending on model and equipment. This corresponds to somewhere between 740,000 and 3 million Danish kroner in the old days.
Despite the high prices, founder Ebert Schulz told WirtschaftsWoche a few years ago that he never made money on the cars.
– It was pure passion, said the founder-
The future of Isdera is uncertain
Isdera's models have achieved very high prices at auctions. For example, a Commendatore 112i was sold for 1.2 million euros in 2021. This corresponds to around 8.9 million Danish kroner.
In 2016, Ebert Schulz sold his company to Sinfonia Automotive AG. The new owners entered into a collaboration with several Chinese partners.
Together they developed an electric sports car called the Commendatore GT.
However, the new venture with Commendatore GT did not meet with the expected success. Since then, things have been very quiet in and around Isdera.
It is still unclear how many employees will be affected by the bankruptcy, nor what the next steps will be for the rest of the company.
Neither the company itself nor curator Thomas Becker have commented on the situation to the media so far. The future of the iconic brand is therefore uncertain.
If you are interested in unique cars and custom-built vehicles, you can find many more stories on Boosted.dk. We write about the developments continuously.
Even when it ends in bankruptcies or massive layoffs. Isdera AG is far from the only car brand that has broken its neck recently. Read more about it here .
