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Home , Bob Lutz (businessman), Fisker Coachbuild, Harley Earl, Karma Automotive

very generation seems to have one; following them, everyone else picks up on men who were not only designers, but also or sometimes two or three. what they’re doing and runs with it. We’re engineers; two fields that go hand-in-hand E Throughout the history of mankind, not talking about fashion designers for outside the world of clothing. It’s not design has been pushed forward largely women’s clothing, more precisely to our enough to make something that looks dif- through the efforts of a handful of men, and particular subject, we’re talking about the www.moparcollectorsguide.com 81 Martin, he became the design director for Aston. Most of those spectacular Aston Martins you’ve seen for the last fifteen years have varying amounts of Fisker’s handiwork in them, with the gorgeous DB9 being his creation entirely. He left Ford in 2004 to form his own design company, , which specialized in creating exotic bodies and interiors that could be fitted to existing chassis and drivetrains – much the same thing that notables such as Fleetwood, Murphy, and Saoutchik had done back in the prewar golden era of making. Then came the desire to build his own car from the tires up, which resulted in the , and since leaving that ven- ture in 2012, has hardly been sitting around doing nothing; that’s not the kind of guy he is. Several years ago, Henrik was ferent, it has to be functional, and it has to Looking more like a than a looking at a Viper and pondering be better than whatever it’s intended to cracker box roller skate electric car, the just how much potential the car had for replace. Go back through the annals of Karma was absolutely gorgeous, it’s interi- even greater things. Sure, it was built as a time and you’ll find them; names like Frank or was spectacular, and what’s more, it was Corvette killer and Dodge’s version of a Lloyd Wright, Nikola Tesla, Gottlieb designed to run like a bat-out-of-hades “super car,” but he didn’t believe it was on Daimler, Thomas Andrews, Ferdinand when the go pedal was pushed down. And the same playing field with the elite Porsche, Wernher Von Braun, Author Hendrik Fisker designed it pretty much Ferraris and of , and Emmons Raymond, and and from the ground up, inside and out. In Henrik Fisker kept studying it and scrib- for that matter. They’re the 2012, production stopped on the Fisker bling notes, wondering why nobody was ones who look at the world as it is and say Karma, amidst major problems with the pushing the car father. By 2015, Henrik to themselves, “That could be a whole lot company providing the batteries for the decided if nobody else was going to do it, better,” then they figure out a way to do it, cars and other suppliers and investors. he would, so he began looking to the fore- and in most cases make it look nice as well. Highly agitated, Henrik resigned from the most authorities in the Viper field and that In the 1900’s, industrial designers became company he had founded and left. The naturally led him to Viper racing specialist celebrities in their own right. Going back company was soon bought by the Chinese, Ben Keating of The Viper Exchange down to the thirties, the era of truly iconic renamed , and they’re in Texas. Having raced Vipers and mechanical designers was ushered in. vowing to produce more cars of a similar designed suspension and high-performance Names like Raymond Loewy, Henry nature in the near future. That’s probably engine components for Vipers since Dodge Dreyfuss, Harley Earl, Gordon Buehring, how you’ve known Henrik Fisker up until first released them, there’s no one on the , Elwood Engel, Battista this moment. But believe us, there’s a planet who knows more about making a , and Howard “Dutch” Darrin whole lot more to this man than just his Viper go faster and handle better than Ben just to name a few. From locomotives to sudden desire to produce a hybrid luxury Keating. When they sat down together, airplanes to automobiles, to wrist watches, super car. We’ve been blessed to meet Henrik showed him his initial sketches for to toasters, their design and styling ideas some guys in our lives that we truly consid- what he had in mind, and it was something touched just about every realm. Today, er to be absolute geniuses, and Henrik cer- none of us would’ve expected. Rather than there’s a lot of younger guys struggling to tainly ranks pretty high up there. just take a Viper and add some body modi- fill those very big shoes with varying Henrik was born back in 1963 in fications to it, Henrik had the notion that degrees of success, but recently we had the Denmark, but he’s lived and worked in you could start with a Viper chassis and pleasure of meeting someone we legiti- Germany, London, and for much of his then build an entirely new car around it. He mately consider to be perhaps this genera- career, in Southern . He graduat- thought there had really only been one true tion’s version of Raymond Loewy – none ed from California’s Art Center College of American “super car” throughout history other than Hendrik Fisker. Design, and having always had a penchant (arguably) and that one car was the Ford To most of you out there, Henrik for all things mechanical and a notable eye GT40. Henrik thought that with America’s Fisker will undoubtedly be most widely for style, he secured his first big job back in extremely rich automotive history, there known as the founder of Fisker 1989 with BMW’s advanced design studio was something wrong with that picture, and Automotive, which debuted their plug-in in Munich. He designed the Z07 BMW it was high time the had a car hybrid Fisker Karma exotic super car at the , which led directly to him that could go out there on the world stage 2008 North American International Auto designing the BMW Z8 roadsters, which and stand toe-to-toe with anything Europe Show. As most of you know, we’ve never we’re quite certain you’ve seen zipping had to offer. Ben Keating liked that idea been huge fans of hybrid of all-electric- around just about everywhere. In 2001, quite a bit, and that, in turn, told Henrik that powered vehicles here, but the Fisker Fisker joined , and his idea was not only feasible, he’d already Karma was something quite a bit different. since they were partnered with Aston

82 COLLECTOR’S GUIDE made an ally and it could be done. But, it agreed it needed to be done and the Viper tweaking them to perfection, and he built a until it reaches 218 miles-per-hour! If that’s takes more than one or two guys to put platform was just the ticket, so by the time new induction system that aligns itself with not fast enough for you, join NASA, we don’t together a company to build the ultimate they had finished a few adult beverages, the the Force 1’s hood to allow for no less than know what else to tell you. Best of all, it’s American super car, and knowing he want- gents shook hands, and two of the most leg- six cold forced air inlets. The end result is not a pipe dream, this is real and it’s happen- ed the Viper to be starting point, who better endary figures in the automotive realm as it a reliable V-10 that idles smooth and pumps ing now. Obviously, this is not a cheap car, to consult with than his good friend, and currently exists had formed a team to make out a dyno tested 745 horsepower! There and they are made one-at-a-time, by hand, former executive, Bob Lutz? it happen, with Lutz’s VLF building the are elements of the old and the new in the each one made to order in whatever color Lutz, one of the true icons in the cars at their Michigan facility – and that’s Force 1 V-10. One can see something of a combination your heart may desire. The cars last four decades of the automotive busi- how the Force 1 V-10 coupe was born. progression from the vintage Shelby racing can be ordered through The Viper Exchange, ness, began his career with BMW in 1971, Designed by Fisker, the prototype coupes of the early sixties, but the design with Ben Keating handling your order’s and he’s the guy who came up with the Force 1 V-10 was first shown at the Detroit blends Fisker’s bold styling with distinctly details. Or, you can contact VLF Automotive “Ultimate Driving Machine” tag line for Auto Show in December, 2016. As this is American elements. The windshield wraps directly and they’ll instruct you on how to get them (bit of free trivia there). Lutz came to being written, the first production examples around, while the hood stretches out with one of these gorgeous monsters parked in America and quickly climbed the corporate are being assembled. The car features an bold sharp edges, serving to feed the giant your garage. ladder, becoming the Executive Vice entirely scratch-built carbon fiber body engine beneath. The cabin is pushed as far Personally for us, we find it won- President of Ford, the head of Chrysler’s which rides on 21” custom alloy wheels back as possible, but the car’s balance is derfully amusing that two guys who got their Global Product Development, then he shod with Pirelli P Zero tires. Having to absolutely remarkable, in large part thanks big breaks in the both eventually left to do the same job over at custom make everything from the windows to is extremely lightweight body. The lux- started off working for BMW; Bob Lutz and GM until he finally left in 2010 to semi- to the headlights and taillights, and virtual- urious interior consists of extremely soft Henrik Fisker, are the guys responsible for retire. In 2012, Lutz formed VLF ly all the interior components, this has liter- hand-stitched leather with the “VLF” logo something Americans haven’t seen the likes Automotive in Detroit with business part- ally been a ground-up project and labor of strategically placed, and the shifter is of before and likely never will again. Having ner Gilbert Villarreal to build exotic cars love for everyone involved. The Force 1 V- machined aluminum, the gauges are cus- known Bob Lutz since he was at Chrysler, we without all the hassles of dealing with a 10 begins as a new production Viper, which tom-made, and among its other amenities, can assure you, he’s an amazing guy, and giant corporation. Lutz will forever be is then torn completely apart so only the the car has Wi-Fi, and a built-in champagne once he puts his mind to something, it tends known to Chrysler fanatics as the man who basic chassis itself and the government- holder (no kidding)! to get done. Having recently met Henrik pushed the Viper program through, along approved safety equipment can be retained. The Force 1 V-10 is not to be Fisker, we’re struck with the same “can do” with the Prowler, the PT Cruiser, and the Bob Keating builds the entire suspension taken as just a pretty face, however, as attitude. These are hardcore car guys and entire LH series of cars. For what it’s system for the Force 1 V-10, assuring it will Fisker and Lutz will readily attest to, and they like to dream big. When you put their worth, he also pushed through the modern handle as good as any race-tuned Viper cur- the prototype has already more than proven combined talents together, you can’t help but Camaro we see today and the radicalization rently running on road courses all over the itself. Running on pump gas, the VLF end up with a phenomenal result; and you’re of the newer Corvettes. All that aside, world. Keating also takes each one of the Force 1 V-10 goes from zero-to-sixty in now looking at it. We’ve seen the future gold Henrik Fisker sat down with Lutz in Detroit new V-10 engines and goes through them three seconds flat, it packs 638 ft. lbs. of standard of American performance cars, and in late 2015 and laid out his vision. Both from the crankshaft up, rebuilding and torque, and the car doesn’t stop pulling it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. 

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