The automotive world’s supercar and hypercar manufacturers have clearly figured out that the more exclusive and expensive they make their products, the more customers will clamor to drop millions of dollars. Just look at Bugatti, which steadily releases a continually escalating lineup of Veyron successors that total into the eight-figure price range, as the number of planned vehicles dwindles down as far as possible. But for those collectors in need of something even rarer than a Bugatti Divo or a track-only Lamborghini SCV12, perhaps the only 1993 Isdera Commendatore 112i in the world will have to suffice when this supercar hits RM Sotheby’s auction block in Paris this weekend.
The Mercedes-Benz V12 That Powered The Pagani Zonda
via RM Sotheby’s
This one-of-one 1990s supercar was developed as a passion project of sorts by designer Eberhard Schulz, who was responsible for designing the Isdera Spyder and its road-going sibling, the Imperator 108i, after leaving both Porsche and B&B GmbH behind. Like the other Isdera models, the Commendatore 112i employs a Mercedes-Benz engine, in this case the same 6.0-liter V12 that would eventually make its name powering the legendary Pagani Zonda.
Seen under the gullwing hood above, the engine employs two camshafts per cylinder bank and routes over 400 horsepower to the rear wheels through an additionally modified version of a Ruf-modified Porsche transaxle, with a bespoke flywheel and an added sixth gear allowing for a top speed of over 211 miles per hour.
Spaceframe Chassis With A Low Coefficient Of Drag
via RM Sotheby’s
The massive V12 is nestled into a spaceframe chassis, which pairs with active suspension developed in partnership with Bilstein and BBS that dropped the Commendatore 112i’s ride height by three inches at speed to allow for a drag coefficient of only 0.306. Shulz originally wanted the Commendatore 112i to compete at Le Mans but that dream never became a reality due to financial problems in Japan during the early-1990s.
Documented History And A Video Game Cameo
via RM Sotheby’s
The car perhaps earned its greatest accolade by appearing in 1997’s Need for Speed II, though it was also raced in real life once in Frankfurt in 1999. This weekend, the Commendatore 112i will hit the RM Sotheby’s stage on offer from Isdera itself, with registration papers from Germany and previous ownership in Switzerland. RM Sotheby’s estimates the final gavel to close between $484,000 and $727,000 depending on conversion rates between the US dollar and the Euro.
