Isdera Imperator 108i

{{Short description|German mid-engine sports car (1984–1993)}}

{{Infobox automobile

| image = Isdera imperator 1.jpg

| name = Isdera Imperator 108i

|manufacturer = Isdera GmBH

| production = 1984–1993
30 units produced{{Cite web |url=https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/this-isdera-imperator-came-saw-and-conquered-1991/ |title=This Isdera Imperator came, saw, and conquered 1991 |last=Berg |first=Nik |date= March 23, 2021 |website= Hagerty|publisher=Hagerty |access-date= December 10, 2024}}

| assembly = Leonberg, Germany

| predecessor = Isdera Spyder 033

| successor = Isdera Commendatore 112i

| class = Sports car (S)

| body_style = 2-door coupé

| layout = Rear mid-engine, rear wheel drive

| platform = Fibreglass body over tubular steel chassis

| engine = {{ubl

|{{convert|5.0|L|cc|0|abbr=on}} Mercedes-Benz M117 V8

|{{convert|5.6|L|cc|0|abbr=on}} Mercedes-Benz M117 V8

|{{convert|5.6|L|cc|0|abbr=on}} AMG V8

|{{convert|6.0|L|cc|0|abbr=on}} AMG V8

}}

| transmission = 5-speed ZF manual

| wheelbase = {{cvt|2480|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}

| length = {{cvt|4220|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}

| width = {{cvt|1835|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}

| height = {{cvt|1135|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}

| weight ={{convert|1250|kg|lbs|0|abbr=on}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/spec/6262/Isdera-Imperator-108i.html|title= Isdera Imperator 108i specifications|author= Wouter Melissen|date= 21 July 2015|accessdate= 19 February 2018}}

| related = Mercedes-Benz CW311{{cite web | url = https://www.classicandsportscar.com/gallery/mystery-merc-youve-never-heard| title = The mystery Merc you’ve never heard of | accessdate=January 15, 2022 | work=classicandsportscar.com}}

| designer = Eberhard Schulz

}}

The Isdera Imperator 108i is a low-volume German sports car produced from 1984 to 1993. The Imperator 108i was born out of the Mercedes-Benz CW311 concept car from 1978, which Eberhard Schulz, who at the time worked as a design engineer for Porsche, designed in his free time. Mercedes-Benz had no interest in putting the CW311 into production, so Schulz established his own engineering company, Isdera, to produce the car under his own brand.{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/spec/6262/Isdera-Imperator-108i.html|title= Isdera Imperator 108i |first= Wouter | last = Melissen|date= 21 July 2015|accessdate= 8 July 2018}}{{cite book |last= Kuah |first= Ian |date= 1986 |title= Fantasy Cars: A Selection of the World's Most Desirable Automobiles |url= https://www.google.com/books/edition/Fantasy_Cars/2ACwzIFuTfsC |publisher=Longmeadow Press |page= 95 |isbn=9780681400467}}{{cite book |last= Lawrence|first= Mike |date= 1996|title= A to Z of Sports Cars, 1945-1990 |url= https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_to_Z_of_Sports_Cars_1945_1990/glKW-Kh-lmcC |publisher= Bay View Books|quote=ISDERA (D)
The Isdera Imperator 108i was the creation of Eberhard Schulz, who had been an associate of Rainer Buchmann at b+b (qv) when he had created the b+b CW311. It was not surprising, then, that the Imperator was fairly close to that car and even used the periscope which replaced the more usual rear view mirror. The customer originally had a choice of Mercedes-Benz or Porsche V8 engines which promised the 0-60mph sprint in under five seconds. By 1990 the specification had settled and Mercedes-Benz engines, ranging from 3 to 6 litres, were offered in a tubular frame with independent suspension all round by coil springs and double wishbones. Bodies were of fibreglass. A Spyder version with a high T-bar and fussy styling behind it had presence but not, perhaps, line. By 1990 total production had reached about 24 each of the Spyder and Imperator.|isbn=9781870979818}}{{Cite web |url= https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/news/a29341/the-isdera-imperator-108i-is-a-mercedes-benz-wedge-from-the-future/|title= The Isdera Imperator 108i is a Mercedes-Benz Wedge From The Future|last= Rong|first= Blake Z.|date= May 28, 2016 |website= Road & Track |access-date= December 10, 2024}} Isdera AG owns the trademarks to Imperator as separate brand.