Fisker pulls Thunderbolt following Aston Martin lawsuit

Aston Martin has dropped its lawsuit against Fisker, which was issued after Henrik Fisker revealed his Thunderbolt design prototype.

Aston Martin had said the prototype was an unauthorised copy of Aston’s designs and was "wholly unacceptable". Aston took issue with several elements of the Thunderbolt’s styling, including its logo.

However, a joint statement has confirmed that the two sides have come to an agreement. The statement confirms that "Henrik Fisker has decided that 'Project Thunderbolt' will not be produced" and as a result "Aston Martin will withdraw the lawsuit".

The statement also confirms that the matters have all been resolved amicably and there will be no further comment.

At the time that the lawsuit was issued, a statement from Aston Martin said: “This lawsuit centres on Henrik Fisker’s creation and promotion of automobiles that Aston Martin contends infringes Aston Martin’s rights, by an improper and unauthorised attempt to exploit and free-ride off them. Aston Martin regards such conduct as wholly unacceptable and reserves all rights available at law to challenge it.”

Denmark-born Henrik Fisker is a former Aston Martin design boss and was responsible for the DB9 and the V8 Aston Martin Vantage. He left in 2004 to form Fisker Automotive, which was responsible for the Fisker Karma, a plug-hybrid that was launched in 2011. Fisker Automotive filed for bankruptcy in November 2013.

Fisker revealed the Thunderbolt at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Florida in March this year. The car was described as a concept and based on the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish but did not have Aston Martin’s official endorsement. Despite this, Fisker said he would build the car to order if the demand was there.

He also said some elements of the car’s design would not make it to production if it were to be made. Production cars would not feature the 11.6in curved infotainment screen of the concept, and would get minor styling adjustments.

“I wanted to create an elegant, beautiful GT sports coupé, with pure emotional sculpture that would stay timeless,” said Fisker at the time of the Thunderbolt’s launch.

Get the latest car news, reviews and galleries from Autocar direct to your inbox every week. Enter your email address below: