Monday 1st August 2005

Fisker's first car revealed

Aston DB9's designer to unveil Tramonto next month

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Fisker's drawing of the Tramonto

Henrik Fisker, once Aston's chief designer, and the man who penned the achingly gorgeous DB9, is to unveil the first of two cars to bear the Fisker name at the Frankfurt International Auto Show next month.

Aimed at a similar market to Aston Martin, Fisker Coachbuild's new car, the Tramonto, is said to be an exotic, high-performance sports car, hand-crafted using top quality materials while remaining very much a driver's car. It's a two-seat convertible delivering a stonking 610bhp, with a top-down 0-60mph in just 3.6 seconds. To retain exclusivity, there will be only 150 examples built.

According to Fisker, the grille design was inspired by aircraft designs such as the F/A-22 Raptor, with distinctive the large centre opening tying into the fuselage and the two wings expanding from the mouth. It also has a distinct Aston look to it...

Fisker reckoned his new company "will redefine the art of coachbuilding for the 21st century: design excellence rooted in the true California spirit, as portrayed in the logo design with the sun setting over the ocean."

More details of the second car will emerge at the show on 13 September, when Fisker will unveil the first build of the Tramonto and drawings or concepts for the second, as yet unnamed, car, that's due in 2006.

Related stories

• Henrik Fisker interview
• DB9 designer goes it alone

[vrooom]

Look like the designer has ran out of the ideas.... Im sick of Aston martin shape....

jay

[pauly]

Who is this bloke trying to kid? thats a drawing of a DB9 volante

[chrisjl]

Following on from the obvious similarity to current AMs, the last comment in the linked Fisker interview suggests that the DB9 wasn't actually his work anyway.
Nice 'work' if you can get it.

[alanc5]

Have to agree with you guys, it's a DB9. I've seen more inspired Renault's.

Come on! Blank canvas, do something original, push the envelope not copy whats already been done.

Pfft.

[dinkel]

Ah the days of yum Italian cartailors . . .

I get melancholic . . .

[apache]

Dunno what you're all on about, it's totally different, look at the 2 vertical bars on the grill

[dinkel]

apache said:

Dunno what you're all on about, it's totally different,

Let's have a good look . . .

apache said:

look at the 2 vertical bars on the grill

Indeed it has . . .

[dvs_dave]

I have to agree with most other comments. It does look awfully AM like...at least from the front three quarters view.

A deft Photoshop artist could produce a pretty convincing picture of one from an AM DB9 Volante image.

We'll have to wait and see how it looks in the flesh.

[klassiekerrally]

At first I thought they put a drawing of a DB9 on top of the text because there wasn't a picture of the Nilfisker available...

Still, I think it's going to look too much like Aston Martins. Read the interview a few months ago where Fisker explained why the Jag and the Aston look so much alike. It's all down to regulations he said...
Yeah. Right.

[groomi]

los angeles said:

He is building two types of sports car: a limited run of the one you see, trimmed to the buyer's spec, and a uniquely bodied sports cars to the buyer's idea, who can afford to have him sit over a drawing board and create something the way coachbuilders did in days gone by - a special, just for that one customer.

Yes, but he is on record as saying that all cas will have to look the same due to the regulations. So why spend more for him to come up with a 'unique' but ultimately identical car?

Is that a bullet I see lodged in Mr Fiskers foot?

[dinkel]

groomi said:

So why spend more for him to come up with a 'unique' but ultimately identical car?

The poor guy has to earn his living I guess . . .

[agoogy]

I'm not buying this design by legislation stuff... Callum said the XK8, DB7 looked similar and that the DB9 and new Jag looked similar not just because of legislation because of the 'hardpoints'..or windscreen base, suspension mounts and stuff... I still think thats an easy way out... lets see... front engined, rear wheel drive, 2 door GT

Ferrari 575
Scaglietti (?)
Bentley GT
DB9
Bristol Fighter
Chevvy Corvette
Maserati 3200
350Z
TVR Sagaris

They have very liitle in common aesthetically, yet all adhere to legislation... Fisky needs to perhaps engage in some 'erb to broaden the mind or something...seems anyone going near Aston/Jag gets their immaginations sucked out....

[Twin Turbo]

Whilst is it certainly has more than a few hints of the DB9, based on that picture it certainly gets my vote.

If you're gonna copy something, copy the best. And the DB9 (ok, and the V8 Vantage) currently get so close to greatness it hurts.

Can't wait to see some proper photos of it in the metal.

[porka914]

"and the man who penned the achingly gorgeous DB9"




He designed the rear lights and the wheels. Fact.


The Aston and the Jag look similar becasue they were designed by the same guy, Mr Callum, at the same time... so I guess they were influencing each other in certain ways.


And that new Fisker car... yup its another Aston.

[x1m]

Looks very similar..I saw a taped up car in Sheffy last week, looked very much like an Aston. And if it wasnt for the fact it was taped up, I would have thought it was just another Vanquish...not something special