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The Aston Martin Vanquish looks too ordinary and there are far too many around. Said no one ever. However, should anyone think so, the chaps at Galpin Auto have teamed up with Henrik Fisker to provide the solution to Vanquish your woes.

Galpin Auto claim to be the world’s largest Ford dealer but also have an Aston dealer too. When they’re not selling cars they occasionally make their own. They’ve given us the an Air Force themed Dodge Challenger and a 725 bhp/533kW Mustang styled by, you guessed it, Henrik Fisker himself.

If the name sounds familiar its because Mr Fisker is responsible for designing some of the most beautiful cars in history. In his portfolio are the BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9, and the Fisker Karma. After a brief stint at Aston Martin, Fisker went on to establish his own company based in California. His first cars were redesigned and re-bodied BMW 6-Series and Mercedes SL.

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Then came the Karma, which was an electric vehicle with a range extender. It looked great and though it wasn’t as fast as a Tesla it sure looked better than one. Celebrities flocked to it when it first came out. But not even Hollywood could save Fisker going into bankruptcy. Now there are reports a Chinese firm have bailed them out and the Karma is back in production.

To keep himself busy Fisker teamed up with Galpin Auto, twice. First came the 725bhp/533kW Mustang, which we saw at this year’s Detroit Motor Show. I still maintain to be the best looking Mustang ever. And now we have the Fisker Thunderbolt, a restyled and re-bodied Aston Martin Vanquish. The car you see here is a strict one-off concept. Given Fisker’s past experience with restyling luxury cars and designing Astons, using a Vanquish as a base seems like a no-brainer.

The name “Thunderbolt” may hint at an EV but underneath the Thunderbolt carries over all mechanical bits from the Vanquish. So that means a 5.9-litre V12 pumping out 565bhp/471kW and 620NM of torque; sending power to the rear wheels via a 6-speed auto. What is new is the styling. Fisker has given the Vanquish a bolder, more muscular look reminiscent of the first Vanquish. There are power bulges, sculpted air intakes, an aluminium grille, and a wraparound rear windscreen to differentiate it from the base car.

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Inside the Vanquish has a completely new layout. Taking central stage is the world’s first curved screen fitted to a car. It’s a Panasonic creation and as cool as it looks, unfortunately the cars that’ll go on sale won’t have it. It’s simply a showpiece. Production cars will get a “different setup”. Additionally there are some extra touches to make it stand out from the Aston crowd. There are champagne holders in the back, Natuzzi Italian leather trim, and a fantastic Maurice Lacroix ‘Skeleton’ chronograph. The rest of the parts in the Thunderbolt’s interior may look similar, that because they’ve simply reused Aston’s bits. Nothing wrong with that as those parts have been tried and tested.

It should be stressed that Aston Martin are in no way involved with the Thunderbolt project. There are also no official plans to mass produce the Thunderbolt, instead it’ll be available on a made-to-order basis. With prices of the Vanquish starting at $450,000 in NZ it’s safe to assume the Thunderbolt won’t be cheap. But for some it’s rarity and unique look will be worth it. After all, for some even an Aston Martin is far too ordinary.

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Words cannot begin to describe how much I love cars but it's worth a try. Grew up obsessed with them and want to pursue a career writing about them. Anything from small city cars to the most exotic of supercars will catch my attention.

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