Welcome to Your Destino: The Fisker Karma VL V8

Destiny? Maybe. Destino, definitely. Former GM executive Bob Lutz’s  lovechild, the Fisker Karma, has been famously electric, up until now. Sure, the luxury sports car was technically a hybrid, but the row of lithium-ion batteries running down the middle of the car really made it stand out. The engine was capable of going 0-60 in 6.3 seconds and could hit 125 mph.

Despite some setbacks – fires, recalls, breaking down in the middle of a consumer reports test, the Karma has been gaining acclaim and popularity for its luxury and relative eco-friendliness.

So what have Bob Lutz and industrialist Gilbert Villereal decided to do to celebrate? Stick a Corvette engine into it. The new edition, unveiled this weekend at the North American International Auto Show, will be called the VL Destino, and the resulting machine is intended to compete with similar performance sedans.  The LS9 V8 is supercharged, makes 638-horsepower and should match numbers throw off by the Corvette ZR1. It’ll cost a pretty penny – app. $180,000 – but it should bring a whole new meaning to the term “American Muscle.”  And perhaps it won’t actually catch fire. At least at first.

Andreanna Ditton

Andreanna Ditton is the Editorial Director for the Internet Auto Communities and Auto Classifieds groups. She has worked as an editor, managing editor and moto-journalist for more than a decade, specifically focused on the enthusiast race and performance communities, and has a passion for Ford Broncos, Shelby Cobras and tiny British sportscars that she's far too tall for.