While legal wrangling almost kept the covers on the Henrik Fisker-designed VLF Automotive Force 1 supercar, what has emerged at the North American International Auto Show 2016 is actually a limited edition vehicle that is ready to go into production. The legal action in question was from Aston Martin, Fisker’s former employers, who claimed the car looked too much like its DB10. However now the car has made its debut, any potential likeness with an Aston Martin is difficult to glean. With a $268,500 asking price the car is going into limited production with 50 initial examples. The shell is carbon fiber to cut as much weight as possible and the engine under that aggressive hood is reminiscent of a Dodge Viper — an 8.4-liter V10 with no turbos or superchargers attached. That means a 0-100km/h time of 3 seconds and a standing quarter mile time of 10.97 seconds. Under the carbon fiber paneling is a cutting-edge chassis and computer-controlled suspension setup that promises fine handling as well as blistering but predictable straight-line speed. But perhaps best of all for supercar purists, is that this car comes with a six-speed manual transmission as standard. Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Porsche have all now ditched the stick-shift in favor of paddles and in doing so have robbed keen drives of greater involvement. However an automatic option will also be available – complete with the now obligatory steering-column-mounted paddles.
