2023 Fisker Ocean on 2040-cars

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Bob Lutz predicts Fisker-based VL Destino will world's fastest sedan [w/video]

Ever look at an EV or a dedicated hybrid and wonder what it'd be like with a conventional, high-output V8 under the hood instead of all those batteries and circuit boards? Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villareal did when it came to the Fisker Karma. The result is the Destino from VL Automotive – a vehicle that Lutz says could be the fastest sedan in the world. The Destino was born like a phoenix rising from the ashes of Fisker Automotive and its shapely Karma – an aborted and very costly attempt at making a dedicated hybrid luxury sedan, undertaken by noted automotive designer Henrik Fisker. The project ultimately faltered, but Lutz and Villareal formed VL Automotive to pick up the pieces and put it back together. Only when they did, they got rid of the hybrid propulsion system and replaced it with the 6.2-liter supercharged LS9 V8 from the previous Corvette ZR1, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. With 630 horsepower, a svelte shape and 1,000 pounds trimmed off the curb weight, the VL Destino is expected to top out at or around 200 miles per hour. According to Lutz in his article for Fortune magazine, that would make it "among the fastest four-door cars in the world," but in the accompanying video below, he goes even further to say that the the Destino "most likely will be the world's fastest four-door sedan." To claim the top honor, though, it'll have to vanquish the 204-mile-per-hour Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat – another four-door sedan with a supercharged V8 made by an American automaker... one over which Lutz used to preside, no less. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Henrik Fisker designs a chopper for Lauge Jensen [UPDATE]

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post incorrectly credited Henrik Fisker with designing the Tesla Model S. While Fisker was contracted for design work early in the development of the Model S, Tesla ultimately rejected his design in favor of Franz von Holzhausen's. Mention of the Tesla Model S has been removed from the list of Fisker's designs below. Henrik Fisker has designed some seriously beautiful vehicles over the course of his career thus far. You'd naturally associate his name with the Karma hybrid that shares it, or maybe the reskinned Mercedes SL and BMW 6 Series he crafted as a coachbuilder, but he was also responsible for such beautiful shapes as the BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage, and Artega GT. And now he's turned his attention to a motorcycle. Called the Viking concept, the Fisker-designed chopper is the product of a collaboration with Lauge Jensen, a Danish custom bike shop owned by Lego scion Anders Kirk Johansen. The 660-pound Viking packs an air-cooled 45-degree V-twin engine (built, incidentally in Wisconsin, we wonder by whom) churning out 100 horsepower with a six-speed transmission to propel it to a 130-mile-per-hour top speed and meeting Euro IV emissions regulations. It's packaged into a rather sleek take on the classic hog, the curve of the fuel tank melding into the seat and the rear fender. The Viking is set to be unveiled this week at the Top Marques show in Monaco where Lauge Jensen will watching to see how it's received. Given a positive reception, it could soon join the Great Dane in the company's lineup. Considering that bike already sells for ˆ42,800 (about $60k), and that the Viking would likely command an even bigger premium, that would make for one very expensive chopper. Still, it might be one of the least expensive ways to get your hands on a Henrik Fisker original. Featured Gallery Lauge Jensen Viking Concept by Henrik Fisker View 10 Photos News Source: Lauge Jensen Misc. Auto Shows Fisker Motorcycle Concept Cars Henrik Fisker

Henrik Fisker returns with plans to build a 400-mile electric car

What goes around, comes around. What's past is prologue. Those who don't study the past are ... oh, you get the picture. Henrik Fisker is coming back, again, with an all-new, all-electric vehicle. The name for the new brand? Why, Fisker, of course. At some point in late 2017, Fisker will reveal the "spiritual successor" to the maligned Fisker Karma, he recently told Bloomberg. Unsurprisingly, given Fisker's history, the new EV will be a premium vehicle that could have a range of more than 400 miles on a charge. A lower-cost EV (think $40,000) will follow. Fisker told Bloomberg that the reason he wants to get back into the EV world is because battery technology keeps on advancing: We have really been working in stealth mode. For the last two years I have been looking at battery technologies and wanted to see if there was something that could really give us a new paradigm. We had the strategy of developing the technology as fast as possible without getting tied down to a large organization, which would hold us back. Now we have the technology that nobody else has. And there is nobody even close to what we are doing out there. All Fisker would say about the look is that it will be, "sporty and spacious" and that, "there is no excuse for making an ugly car, even with new technology." Fisker's new company will be called Fisker, Inc., with the we've-got-all-the-tech battery division called Fisker Nanotech. The new technology is being developed at UCLA, Bloomberg says. Once Fisker, Inc. proves the tech is real, the plan is to sell it to an OEM. Fisker, Inc. is even keeping the same logo as when Fisker made the Karma PHEV as Fisker Automotive. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images Green Fisker Electric Luxury Henrik Fisker nanotech fisker inc