Production at niche sports car manufacturer Artega, based in Delbrück, Germany, has come to an end, with the company stating on its website that the last of its Henrik Fisker-designed GT sports cars rolled off the line on September 30.
Artega GT sports car
Enlarge PhotoArtega filed for bankruptcy protectionin July of this year and announced it was in the process of seeking new investors. Two key deals with Chinese and Mexican firms were close to being finalized though fell out at the last minute.
A deal was eventually struck with fellow German firm Paragon, an automotive supplier also based in Delbrück. All 34 employees at Artega have been retained by Paragon, which also gains the company’s engineering talents and production facilities.
Sadly, Paragon has confirmed it has no plans to restart production of the mid-engined Artega GT and its electric variant as sports cars do not fit within the company’s portfolio of products.
Two different versions of the Artega GT were built since the car was first announced in 2007, the gasoline-powered GTrated at 300 horsepower and all-electric SEwith more than 380 horsepower on tap.
Artega was also working on a targa-style model with a removable glass roof, which it previewed in concept formas recently as March’s 2012 Geneva Motor Show. At the time, Artega said it was preparing to expand its dealer network to Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Part of the reason for the brand's demise was that its cars were only sold in Germany.
Artega was established by former Rolls Royce exec Klaus Dieter Frers and several former Volkswagen employees. As mentioned, Fisker founder and chairman Henrik Fisker designed the body of the GT sports car, while former Porsche engineer Hardy Essig was responsible for much of the mechanicals. The V-6 engine that powered the GT was a 3.0-liter unit sourced from VW and used in the previous R32 Golf.
Artega SE electric sports coupe
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