Wiesmann’s MF5 has been in production for just over a year but the striking GT’s combination of a BMW M5 V10 drivetrain and seductively retro styling has made it very popular among performance circles. One group that has noticed the car is the FIA, which has picked it as the Official Safety Car for this year’s GT Championship. The new series kicks off on May 3 at Silverstone in Britain.

As previously mentioned, the MF5 packs the same 5.0L V10 engine used by BMW’s M Division for its M5 and M6 models and is based on Wiesmann’s current GT. Differentiating the MF5 from the normal GT is the aggressive rear wing and diffuser, necessary for maintaining downforce on the rear axle at high speeds.

With an available 507hp (378kW) on tap, the MF5 sprints from 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 310km/h – essential for keeping the GT race cars at their peak.

This year’s FIA GT Championship will be one of the most interesting in years. All 49 GT race cars took to the track recently at a special event at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit earlier this month, where we saw the debut of cars like the new R35 Nissan GT-R GT1 race car, Ford GT GT1 and the Audi R8 LMS.