When it was launched back in 2011, the Fisker Karma was nothing short of a revelation.
Here was a car which looked fantastic and went like stink, hitting 60mph from standstill in around six seconds. And, on top of this, its clever hybrid drivetrain allowed it to travel 62 miles on a single gallon of unleaded, while emitting just 51g/km of CO2. It really was difficult to spot the downside...
But there was a downside. A big one. During 2012, quite a lot of Karmas burst into flames, randomly and spectacularly. This was seen as a 'bad thing', mainly because it was quite hard to achieve the Karma's claimed 62mpg when it was on fire. And the fact that the affected cars transformed themselves into smouldering balls of carbon monoxide somewhat undermined the Karma's green credentials.
In the end, it was determined that it was a small cooling fan, not the car's clever hybrid technology, which was the cause of the fires; however, not before consumer confidence in the Karma was seriously weakened.
This is where the VL Destino comes in. The Destino uses the Karma's four-door bodyshell, but under the bonnet you'll find the 7.0-litre General Motors V8 fitted to the Corvette ZR1 developing 638bhp and 604lb-ft of torque.
The Destino is the work of former GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz and industrialist Gilbert Villereal and although it is currently undergoing testing, it expected to go into a limited production run of 200 cars later this year.
And not only is the Destino more powerful than the standard Karma, it's also lighter. By removing all that petrol-electric hybrid nonsense, the Destino's designers have managed to slash the car's kerb weight by more than 350kg.
So, if you've always fancied getting behind the wheel of a Fisker Karma but hated the idea of your car reducing itself to its component chemical elements while you're at the shops, the VL Destino could be the car for you.
