218mph Force 1 supercar revealed

VLF Automotive has revealed the Force 1 supercar at the Detroit motor show, ignoring requests from Aston Martin for the model’s launch to be cancelled.

The car has been built as part of a joint partnership between Henrik Fisker, ex-GM boss Bob Lutz and experienced racer Ben Keating. It’s a proper production model, and will be sold for $268,500 (about £186,500 at current exchange rates) in just 50 units.

While that price might initially seem steep - you can buy a Ferrari 488 GTB for a little less - once you examine the specification of VLF’s two-seat, carbon-bodied coupe, it begins to look like an increasingly attractive proposition. Because under the bonnet of the Force 1 is the same naturally aspirated 8.4-litre V10 that you’d find in a Dodge Viper, and it’s capable of producing 745bhp and 638b ft of torque.

Drive is sent rearwards through a proper six-speed manual gearbox (a paddle-shift automatic is optional), and with just 1538kg to deal with, the V10 is capable of accelerating the Force 1 to 60mph in a claimed three seconds dead. The car can sprint to a quarter mile in 10.97 seconds, and top speed is a quoted 218mph - placing the Force 1 right at the sharp end of supercar-dom.