What’s it like to drive the FISKER KARMA… from Henrik himself?

For Cars, Movies and Cool… it’s Fireball Tim!

A few months back while I was in Las Vegas for the SEMA Show, I ran into my friend Henrik Fisker. And in that moment, the idea of doing an episode of my show with Henrik and having him as an official Malibu Ride of the Week was born.

A few weeks later, Henrik and his adorable wife/partner Geeta rolled up to one of my shows in a stunning 2012 Fisker Karma. Now, those that may be living in a cave or have no Internet may not know Henrik. But if you’ve noticed that his last name and the name of the car are the same, that’s because the Karma is Henrik’s brainchild and the deep blue gem that emerged from his last company.

And although Fisker Automotive as a company is no more, that hasn’t stopped Henrik from creating beautiful design and being a trailblazer in the world of cars. As a designer and entrepreneur, Henrik has laid the groundwork for great design by having stints at BMW, Aston Martin and Ford. But designing this amazing Laguna Blue jewel (1 of only 77 in the world) has landed him at the LA Auto Show this month with an amazing new car called the ROCKET, build by world renowned customizers, Galpin Auto Sports.

Although my time with Henrik as my guest at the show was limited, we did manage to take a spin up the coast to Free Zuma and get this shot. He mentioned that his Karma is standard and unmodified, but who in their right mind would alter such a beautiful piece of art? “My love for proportions and sculpture,” he said, “was what I wanted to create a dramatic and deeply sculptured 4-door coupe.” We both agreed that the proportions, wheel to body, length of hood and the low greenhouse were the best elements. You could literally stare at it all day.

I had a Fisker Karma for a week and was constantly asked what it was and if they could take a photo. Have to say that I spent a lot of time waiting and not driving, but I didn’t mind, as I was grateful to be behind the wheel of something so beautiful.

“When I was doing the clay model for this car,” Henrik said, “I had to tell the modelers to loosen up and pretend we where doing a “one off” supercar to get the extreme sculpture I wanted around the hood and rear fenders.” And being a car designer myself, I knew that this was not an easy task at a major manufacturer. Cost cutting constantly looms heavily.

And when Henrik told me that the inspiration for his logo of combining the Blue Pacific with the Orange setting Sun came from driving in Malibu at sunset, I knew that there’s probably no better car suited for this town.

It was an absolute joy meeting these guys and having them as my guests at the show. Henrik and I graduated Art Center at the same time and it’s always exciting to see what designers have done since then. Be sure to check out his ROCKET if you’re going to the LA Show and be on the lookout for it coming to Malibu for the Cars & Coffee soon. BIG THANKS to Henrik for his kindness to all who came last week. There’ll be more Fiskers on the horizon for sure and with someone who makes it a point to build good Karma and have such a positive influence on the world of design, Henrik’s success is only beginning. Good on ya, HF.

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