AMELIA CITY, Florida, March 16 — The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance has hosted many a celebrated motor event in its days.
What wowed the crowds over the weekend has been the Fisker Thunderbolt, a one-off customised Aston Martin.
It is the latest from the hand of renowned designer Henrik Fisker.
Born in Denmark in 1963, Fisker has worked for BMW, Ford and Aston Martin as a designer, and even built his own car company, Fisker Automotive.
Along the way he has been responsible for some astounding cars. Below are eight of them.
The BMW Z8 1999
Fisker rose up through the BMW ranks very quickly and the Z8 is the first car to encapsulate the Dane’s entire design philosophy in a single exterior. The Z8 was the perfect boulevard cruiser and had a starring role in a Bond film, to boot. The only thing that prevents it from being a timeless classic is that its handling, ride and performance just couldn’t measure up to those looks.
The Aston Martin DB9 2003
Fisker moved to Ford and then to Aston Martin where he became design director and ultimately responsible for the DB9. Launched in 2003, it will go down in history as one of the best-looking cars that Aston Martin has ever built. Flowing lines, an incredible interior and a wonderful engine note, it was little wonder that the company simply couldn’t keep up with demand
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage 2004
Proving that good things come in small packages, Fisker followed up the DB9 with the smaller, two-seat V8 Vantage, which bears a huge family resemblance but is still different enough to make its own visual statement. After completing the design, Fisker left Aston to start his own car company.
Tesla Model S inital designs 2006
There was a lot of friction between Tesla and Fisker as the two companies attempted to compete in the highest echelons of the green motoring market. There was some name-calling and criticism, but Fisker was the man responsible for the initial design studies that would eventually spawn the Tesla Model S.
Fisker Karma 2008
The Fisker Karma was the car that Fisker believed would make being environmentally friendly aspirational. It is a hybrid GT car built from the finest materials available. There are even fossilised leaves encased in some of the glass fittings. Unfortunately, the company — Fisker Automotive — struggled and Fisker walked away from the business he’d co-founded.
The Viking Concept by Henrik Fisker 2014
This is what happens when two Danish entrepreneurs work together. Fisker was approached by Anders Kirk Johansen (whose family created Lego) to design a new motorbike for the company he had just acquired, Lauge Jensen. The Viking is what a traditional cruiser would look like if it had been designed in a wind tunnel.
The Gaplin-Fisker Rocket 2014
At the LA Auto Show in 2014, Fisker announced he was back with a conceptual Mustang, the Rocket. Described as the ultimate muscle car, its overhaul isn’t skin deep either, with the V8 engine getting some very serious attention in the form of a huge supercharger, pushing power past the 700hp mark.
The Henrik Fisker Thunderbolt 2015
How do you follow up a Rocket? With a Thunderbolt. Fisker’s latest creation takes an Aston Martin Vanquish as its starting point then gives it a completely redesigned carbon fibre exterior, a new nose, a glass roof and a curved 11.6-inch tablet infotainment display in the centre console. — AFP-Relaxnews
