Car and Driver: Destino’s Child: The VLF Force 1

Since the bankruptcy and sale of his eponymous Fisker Automotive, Henrik Fisker’s taken the opportunity to meander about a bit, producing the Mustang Rocket in conjunction with Southern California’s Galpin Auto Sports and attempting to launch the ill-fated Thunderbolt project, torpedoed by legal objection from his former masters at Aston Martin. Now he has leapt into the Midwestern embrace of Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villareal, lending his initial to their VL Motors concern and bringing the new Force 1 to bear at the Detroit auto show.

Based on the Dodge Viper, the hastily assembled (six weeks from start to finish) Force 1 gives VLF a sibling to its Destino, a Corvette-powered rework of Fisker’s Karma. Save for its cab-rearward proportions, the Force 1 looks nothing like its donor vehicle, nor does it particularly resemble an Aston Martin. One could say that the new car’s nose resembles a Miata regurgitating a Mustang. Once seen, it’s an impression that’s hard to shake. On the other hand, with a projected 0-to-60 time of three seconds and a claimed top speed of 218 mph, the VLF could well be inhaling said Mustang.

Under the rippled, multi-ducted hood, the Force 1 carries a reworked Mopar V-10 churning out 745 horsepower. A paddle-shift automatic will be optional, although VLF was mum about the supplier. We’d assume a version of eight-speed automatic used in the Hellcat will get the nod. Inside, the upholstery is a mixture of leather and actual suede, rather than the synthetic stuff. Between the seats, the Force 1 has a provision for carrying a pair of wine bottles, which Lutz suggested could be exchanged for fire bottles when track duty enters the equation.

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• Karmic Dissonance: V-8–Powered, Karma-Based Destino Still on Track for Production Despite Fisker’s Woes-
• The Quotable Bob Lutz Weighs In on Marchionne’s Merger Dreams-
• Bob Lutz Says His Fisker-Based Destino Will Cost $200K, Go 200 mph-

VLF plans to build 50 examples of the machine with a base price of $258,500. The company hopes to sell out the run by the end of 2017. That’d buy you a loaded Viper, a whole lotta Paul Masson, and a enough duct tape to keep a couple of bottles firmly nestled against the rear bulkhead at all times.

Technical director Don Sherman contributed to this report.

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