Aston Martin Files Suit Against Henrik Fisker For Thunderbolt

Henrik Fisker recently teamed up with Galpin Auto Sports to create a car called the Thunderbolt. It's based on the Aston Martin Vanquish, and it was created initially as a one-off design study to gauge potential interest in a small production run of the car. We're sure there was some interest amongst those with the means, but Aston Martin isn't interested in seeing this car move forward as the automaker believes it steps all over its own intellectual property. So much so that Aston Martin has filed suit against Henrik Fisker.

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Aston Martin has stated that it's looking to protect its brand and intellectual property. It's quite clear that the Thunderbolt is an existing Aston underneath, and the British automaker feels that Fisker did not alter the car enough for it to be considered something new. Instead, it appears that he's trying to sell folks an Aston Martin that's wearing a slightly altered yet already finely tailored suit. The real rub comes from the fact that the intent during production of the Thunderbolt would be to have some of the more aggressively upgraded bits, especially the front section, toned down comes off as bait-and-switch bit of sale scheming.

Interestingly, Henrik Fisker is a former design director for Aston Martin. His hands helped shaped the Vantage and the DB9. Two cars with iconic lines. The Vanquish is following that same path with regards to savory styling, and it now seems that the Thunderbolt was an attempt to gain some of that glory. It will be interesting to see how this one shakes out, but we don't expect to see the good folks at Galpin look to anger Aston Martin.