Henrik Fisker's Force 1 supercar is brash, bold, and most definitely loud
One of the biggest car stories so far of 2016 was somewhat unexpected.
Henrik Fisker - who made a splash several years ago with a gorgeous Tesla competitor, the Fisker Karma, and startup car company that later went bankrupt - staged a comeback with the debut of his Force 1 V10 supercar. The Force 1 was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit early this year and is the flagship of VLF Automotive.
It's essentially a Fisker-designed shell laid over a Dodge Viper. The V10 engine makes 745 horsepower, it goes from zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, and the interior thoughtfully includes a Champagne rack between the seats.
Fisker says that it's an American supercar, selling for $270,000, that embodies American values. One of those is clearly the American freedom to enable Danish car designers to pull out every riff in their grandiose playbooks. There's really nothing subtle about the Force 1, starting with the name and extending through the various heavily amplified and distorted power cords rippling across its silvery surface. This is a car that's fully intended to rattle your teeth and grab you in the guts. It is not a cerebral undertaking. It is blunt, brash, and arrogantly cool. It's what a comeback is supposed to look like. It started rolling off the assembly line in August.