The situation has reportedly got critical for the boutique car maker Wiesmann as the creditors lose their last hopes of the company being able to pay off its debt. The brand is on the brink of going belly up, as only six of their 125 employees are still willing to work.

That is a shame, because Wiesmann used to be a prominent name in the world of specialty sports cars. They have been in the business for more than 20 years and during that time they created some timeless classics such as the GT, Roadster, and MF5.

Wiesmann’s recipe was quite successful for a while, as their blend of retro classic styling and modern underpinnings attracted a group of wealthy customers who wanted something different from the established Ferraris, Porsches, and Lamborghinis. The engines for Wiesmann cars used to come from BMW, and included M3’s straight-six and V8, and later on M5’s V10.

With the news of Wiesmann going bust, alarm has gone off at other small sports car firms like Gumpert to start making some serious money, or prepare for bankruptcy.