Fisker Latigo and Tramonto
Fisker Coachbuild is planning to expand by building its own chassis, and will be launching the new car at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show.
The company was founded by Henrik Fisker, once design director at Aston Martin -- he was responsible for the DB9 and V8 Vantage.
Details of Fisker's planned new car are sparse, as the news comes accompanied by a request for venture capital to help fund the expansion. We do know, however, that the new car is planned to cost just $100,000 -- about £52,500 -- which is a big step into volume manufacturing. It plans some 400 cars a year.
So far, Fisker has coachbuilt bodies on existing chassis from Mercedes and BMW.
- Fisker 2006 Tramonto, based on a Mercedes-Benz SL chassis, is a two-seat convertible, delivering 610 horsepower and 0-60mph in just 3.6 seconds. The top speed of the five-speed automatic is electronically limited to 202mph. Mercedes-Benz's technological innovations, from the power-retractable hardtop to Active Body Control, remain untouched, as do the safety systems, including crumple zones and airbags.
- 2006 Fisker Latigo CS, based on a BMW 6 Series. As in the Tramonto, all electronic, telematic and safety systems remain untouched from the original manufacturer, and every original vehicle option is available. An elegant coupe, the Latigo six-speed manual delivers up to 500 horsepower, 0-60mph in 5.6 seconds and has a top speed of 155mph.
- 'Tramonto', which means 'sunset' in Italian, and 'Latigo' are both canyon roads in Malibu.
We'll be watching this next project with huge interest.