If you’re a keen follower of ultra-exclusive concours events, you may have noticed the car above at Villa d’Este earlier this year. It’s the snappily-named Austro Daimler Bergmeister ADR 630 Shooting Grand.
There’s plenty of Mercedes SLS and AMG GT in the styling with those gullwing doors and long bonnet, and the double-bubble roof and shooting brake-style rear end are two retro features of car design that we absolutely love here at TG.
It gets better too, because the Bergmeister’s powertrain pairs a Mercedes-sourced 3.0-litre straight six with three electric motors, meaning a total output of 1,198bhp and 1,600Nm of torque. Sufficient, one might surmise.
Supposedly, that setup means the Bergmeister will get from 0-100kph in 2.5 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 400kph, whilst retaining the ability to cover a purely electrical range of 250kph.
And if you thought all of those electrical gubbins would make it weigh as much as a cruise ship, you’d be wrong. Apparently, Austro Daimler has kept it down to 1,650kg by using an aluminium space frame and lightweight panels. Saying that though, the battery pack is stored out by the rear wheels, so things could get a bit tail-happy if you aren’t careful with the right-hand pedal.
Shall we talk heritage? Back in 1910 Austro Daimler made the fastest car in the world – the 137kph Prinz Heinrich. Then, after surviving through the First World War, things took a turn for the worse and the last car came out of the Austro-Hungarian brand’s factory in 1931. That car was called the Bergmeister, or ‘Mountain Master’ in English. Google it. It looks awesome.
The new Bergmeister will make its UK debut at Salon Privé later this year, but will we ever see it enter into production? Here’s hoping…
