Young Engineers Sportscar

Young Engineers Sportscar, styled as YES!, was a German sports-car brand created by engineers Herbert Funke and Philipp Will. The concept originated as a diploma thesis undertaken while the two founders were studying at Cologne University of Applied Sciences. Exterior design work was carried out by Oliver Schweizer. Rather than developing a conventional mass-market vehicle, the project focused on a compact, lightweight and performance-oriented sports car with a strong connection to motorsport-style engineering. The first prototype, called the YES! Clubsport, was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2001. Production began in the same year, with cars assembled by hand in a restored hangar at Großenhain airport in Germany. This low-volume manufacturing arrangement reflected the brand's specialist positioning: YES! cars were individually built performance products rather than high-volume automobiles. The Clubsport used an aluminum space frame and a Volkswagen-sourced 1.8-liter turbocharged inline-four engine reported to produce 281.6 brake horsepower. Its road-going character combined very low weight with a deliberately stripped-back specification. YES! expanded its range with the Roadster. Introduced at the 2003 Geneva International Motor Show, the first-generation Roadster added comfort and convenience equipment, including central door locking, that was absent from the Clubsport. These additions made it a more usable road car, although they also increased its weight. A track-oriented Cup/R version was introduced in 2003 as well. The Cup/R removed equipment such as the doors to reduce mass and used a higher-output powertrain reported to produce 340 brake horsepower, positioning it for circuit use rather than normal road driving. The second-generation Roadster replaced the Clubsport in 2006. It was larger than the earlier YES! cars and adopted a 3.2-liter Audi VR6 engine, available in naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms. Automatic versions used the naturally aspirated engine, while manual versions could be specified with either the naturally aspirated or turbocharged configuration. The Roadster therefore represented an attempt to broaden the brand's performance offering while retaining its small-scale, specialist identity. The brand's production history ended after Funke & Will AG filed for bankruptcy in February 2009. The company was liquidated in April 2009. Marco Kunz, an early owner of a YES! Roadster 3.2, acquired the company's assets and established YES! Beteiligungs- und Besitzgesellschaft mbH. The new entity produced replacement parts and considered restarting production of the second-generation Roadster, but those plans were not realized. YES! is consequently best understood as a defunct German niche sports-car marque whose significance lies in its handmade construction, lightweight engineering and unusually direct route from an academic design project to limited production.

YES! began as an engineering and design project by Herbert Funke and Philipp Will while they were students at Cologne University of Applied Sciences. Their diploma thesis developed into a viable sports-car concept, with Oliver Schweizer responsible for the exterior design. The project was presented publicly as the YES! Clubsport prototype at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show. Manufacturing started in 2001 in a restored hangar at Großenhain airport. The choice of a restored aviation facility and the handmade production method suited the brand's low-volume ambitions. The Clubsport was developed as a road-legal performance car using an aluminum space frame and a Volkswagen 1.8-liter turbocharged inline-four engine. Its specification emphasized performance and low mass rather than everyday refinement. The Roadster became the next major product. Its first generation was introduced at the 2003 Geneva International Motor Show and added equipment such as central door locking. Although this made the car more practical than the Clubsport, the additional equipment also made it heavier. In the same year, YES! introduced the Cup/R, a track-only derivative of the Roadster. Weight-saving measures included removing components such as the doors, while its engine output was increased to a reported 340 brake horsepower. In 2006, the second-generation Roadster replaced the Clubsport. The new model was larger and changed to a 3.2-liter Audi VR6 engine. Buyers could obtain naturally aspirated or turbocharged versions with manual transmission, while automatic cars used the naturally aspirated engine. This generation remained the brand's central road-car product until the manufacturer's financial collapse. Funke & Will AG filed for bankruptcy in February 2009 and was liquidated in April. Marco Kunz, described as one of the earliest owners of a YES! Roadster 3.2, purchased the brand's assets and formed YES! Beteiligungs- und Besitzgesellschaft mbH. The successor organization made replacement parts and planned a possible restart of second-generation Roadster production. Those plans were ultimately abandoned, leaving YES! as a defunct specialist sports-car marque.

• 2009

  Manufacturer files for bankruptcy

  [1]Young Engineers Sportscaren.wikipedia.org

  Funke & Will AG filed for bankruptcy in February, and the company was liquidated in April.

• 2006

  Second-generation Roadster replaces Clubsport

  [1]Young Engineers Sportscaren.wikipedia.org

  The larger second-generation Roadster replaced the Clubsport and adopted a 3.2-liter Audi VR6 engine.

• 2003

  First-generation Roadster introduced

  [1]Young Engineers Sportscaren.wikipedia.org

  The first-generation Roadster was introduced at the Geneva International Motor Show with additional comfort equipment compared with the Clubsport.

• 2003

  Cup/R track model introduced

  [1]Young Engineers Sportscaren.wikipedia.org

  YES! introduced the track-only Cup/R, which used weight reduction and a higher-output engine for circuit driving.

• 2001

  YES! Clubsport prototype shown at Frankfurt

  [1]Young Engineers Sportscaren.wikipedia.org

  The first YES! prototype, the Clubsport, was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show, marking the brand's public debut.

• 2001

  Handmade production begins

  [1]Young Engineers Sportscaren.wikipedia.org

  YES! production began in a restored hangar at Großenhain airport in Germany.

A specialist German performance-car brand focused on lightweight construction, handmade production and high power-to-weight ratios, with separate road and track-oriented models.

• Road sports car · 2001

  YES! Clubsport

  The Clubsport was YES!'s first production model and the road-going version of the prototype shown at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show. It used an aluminum space frame and a 1.8-liter Volkswagen turbocharged inline-four engine reported to produce 281.6 brake horsepower. The model prioritized low weight and direct performance over comfort and was discontinued in 2006 when the second-generation Roadster became the brand's main successor.

• Roadster · 2003

  YES! Roadster

  The Roadster was introduced in 2003 as a more usable road car than the Clubsport. Its first generation added comfort features including central door locking, although those additions increased weight. The second generation, introduced in 2006, was larger and used a 3.2-liter Audi VR6 available in naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms. Manual versions could use either engine configuration, while automatic versions used the naturally aspirated engine.

• Track-only sports car · 2003

  YES! Cup/R

  The Cup/R was a competition-oriented derivative of the Roadster introduced in 2003. It was stripped of road-car equipment, including components such as the doors, to lower weight. Its powertrain was reported to produce 340 brake horsepower. The model was intended for track use rather than ordinary road transportation and represented the most overtly motorsport-focused product in the YES! range.

• 2009

  Manufacturer liquidation and attempted restartOther

  Background

  Funke & Will AG entered bankruptcy proceedings in February 2009 and was liquidated in April, ending the original manufacturer's operations.

  Action taken

  Marco Kunz acquired the YES! assets, formed YES! Beteiligungs- und Besitzgesellschaft mbH and pursued replacement-parts production. A restart of second-generation Roadster production was considered.

  Aftermath

  The proposed production restart did not happen, although the successor entity produced replacement parts.

  Source

1. 1Young Engineers Sportscaren.wikipedia.org