Fisker ‘Rocket’ muscle car set for LA show

Remember Henrik Fisker? That's the chap: Danish designer of stunning cars like the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Artega GT, BMW Z8... and of course his eponymous Karma. Well, Fisker's back with a new car. Promisingly, it's called the Rocket.

It's been a brutal few years for Fisker. Poor Henrik saw his idea of a plug-in hybrid luxury saloon turn to ashes - literally - when more than 300 of his space-age Karmas caught fire after they were damaged in the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

The $30m insurance bill was the final straw for the enterprise, and Fisker resigned from his own company in March last year. It's since been bought out by a Chinese outfit looking to resurrect the intriguing Karma, but in the meantime, Mr Fisker has been busy elsewhere. And this time, his creation screams power, not parsimony.

The Rocket muscle car is headed for the Los Angeles motor show later this month, and so far, the only clues to its identity are this single monochrome design sketch. That rear-three-quarter angle could only be a Ford Mustang, and reports emanating from the US back up the theory.

It's thought Fisker's new baby is a joint venture with Ford dealer Galpin Auto Sports, which we'll happily refer to be the appropriate acronym ‘GAS', if you don't mind. GAS has a back catalogue littered with modified Mustangs, and revealed a new 725bhp version as recently as the SEMA show in Las Vegas last week. It's also responsible for the 1100bhp Ford GTR1 supercar. These GAS guys know a thing or two about fast Fords, then.

Rumours suggest Fisker's new Rocket teams the new Mustang's underpinnings with his own interpretation of the iconic pony car's styling, wrought in lightweight carbon fibre. With GAS power, that could be a drag-strip-eating combination.

The sketch shows new air intakes gouged into the car's flank and heavily dished wheels, plus an extended lip spoiler. It already looks tasty, and having seen Henrik Fisker's past effort's there's no reason to doubt the Rocket will be another stunning creation.

We'll find out for sure in LA next week.