VLF Force 1 V10 Roadster: here are the first pics

No, the new VLF Force 1 V10 Roadster hasn’t been towed for parking on a double yellow, it’s en route to the Shanghai motor show and these are the first pictures of it – presumably taken on Henrik Fisker’s mobile telephone.

Right now, details on the Roadster are as indistinct as these pictures, but allow us to fill in the gaps. The Roadster is based on the Dodge Viper and assuming the same stats as the Coupe, it uses a naturally-aspirated 745bhp/638lb ft 8.4-litre V10 (hence the side-exit exhaust), has all-carbon bodywork and features computer-controlled active suspension system.

Thanks to all that carbon, the Coupe weighs a surprisingly lithe 1,538kg, but expect the Roadster to add a few cheeseburgers to that. A six-speed manual will be standard, auto is an option, there are Pirelli tyres and Brembo brakes.

What price for this 200mph+ convertible? Well, the Coupe costs $268,500 (circa £187,000), and all we know is the Roadster will be priced “just above the Coupe.” Let’s call it a round £200,000 for now.

For those of you not familiar with the VLF company , it’s an “American luxury sports car company” founded in 2012 by designer Henrik Fisker (he of the eponymous Karma), former General Motors chairman ‘Maximum’ Bob Lutz and entrepreneur Gilbert Villarreal.

It began with the Destino V8 (a Fisker Karma with the hybrid bits ripped out and the V8 from a Corvette ZR1 stuffed in), but now also includes a rebodied Galpin Mustang called the Rocket V8, the X Series (a Hummer-esque super-SUV based on the Chevrolet Colorado) and Coupe and Roadster versions of the Force 1 V10. We should get a proper look at the Roadster one it’s unloaded in a few weeks time in Shanghai.