Fisker Karma May Live On Through Bob Lutz's V8-Powered Destino

The Fisker Karma is a pretty car, further emphasizing Henrik Fisker’s talent in designing great-looking automobiles. However, aside from the sexy shape, the car was let down by poor quality materials, finish and build. Furthermore, the range-extender powertrain, while competent, never offered the level of performance one would expect from a car looking like that.

Now, chances are we won’t be seeing any more Karmas being made, as the company has gone under bankruptcy, however, there still may be some hope, in the form of the Destino, which is basically the same car, but with a GM-sourced V8 engine shoehorned under the bonnet.

Created by VL Productions, run by Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villarreal, the Destino will retail at around $185,000 / €142,000, once it goes on sale later this year. Through Lutz, we now know that the company has already put its hands on 20 gliders, which are basically what Tesla got from Lotus when creating the Roadster. These cars lack the batteries and hybrid powertrain, but get all of the body panels and interior fittings. All VL Production does is add a healthy dose of American V8, make some minor changes to the exterior and interior.

Furthermore, some current owners of the Karma have expressed their desire to convert their hybrids into V8, so there is an audience for it…

However, instead of using the 638 hp LS9 engine out of the Corvette ZR1 as originally stated, Bob Lutz told WarsAuto that the company has decided to go with the less-potent variant which is found in the Cadillac CTS-V – it pumps out 556 hp, which should prove enough to push the car to its desired top speed of over 185 mph, or 295 km/h.

“Most people want automatics in these types of cars, and we didn’t have a suitable 6-speed for the ZR1 (Corvette) engine,” Lutz told the publication, adding that the CTS-V powerplant will be paired to a GM-supplied 6-speed.

Lutz added that if Fisker closes down for good, VL Production could work with the company’s suppliers and build the car itself, though, he said this might create a “logistical hassle”.

By Andrei Nedelea

Story References: WardsAuto

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