Fisker Karma V8 VL Destino Debuts in Detroit

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 and the fact that you could get approximately 52 mpg highlighted the importance of the electric engine. The Karma 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. A few styling changes have been made to the front and rear fascia to accommodate the big engine, but it doesn’t look radically different. The Destino will come in automatic or manual, and 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.