Elite Traveler November-December 2017

elite traveler NOV/DEC 2017 51

Construction workers, Corvette drivers, even the resident valet guy can’t help but exclaim “nice car” as I wind my way through the hills and valleys of Malibu Canyon. With a long, undulating hood and stout, muscular tension through the rear wheelbase, the Karma Revero is a car that commands attention. It is also a bit of a conundrum; the vehicle weighs 5,400lbs, more than a 2018 Toyota Tundra truck. That is due to its dual electric motors, 21-kilowatt-hour battery and a two-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine. Unlike other hybrids, which alternate between motors, the Karma Revero uses the combustion engine to fuel its electric motors once its 50-mile electric range is tapped. Were the car lighter, it would easily achieve a more impressive range, but company executives insist that is not the point. It is pure, unadulterated indulgence in the form of a start-up Henrik Fisker’s brainchild gets a Chinese reboot

catching fire. Fisker declared bankruptcy in 2013 andWanxiang Group purchased its remaining assets in 2014, renaming the company Karma Automotive. With 75 automobiles currently on the road, its updates include Bridge of Weir plush leather interiors and a spectrum of full-bodied, mica-heavy exterior colors that accentuate the vehicle’s already strong, polarizing shoulder and hip lines. In addition to the car itself, the $130,000 price tag comes with a dedicated customer service representative and over-the-air live updates. From $130,000, karmaautomotive.com

automobile company, and a markedly atypical option to other electric-powered sedans. Heads will turn; the very point of the vehicle is its divergent elements. The Fisker redux offers three driving modes —Sport, Stealth, and Sustain—and three regenerative braking ones as well, each of which allows the vehicle to recapture lost energy by way of the brakes. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure means of driving. Karma Revero is based on the Fisker Karma, a vehicle conceptualized by Henrik Fisker (who also had a hand in the design of the AstonMartin DB9 and V8 Vantage) that had a penchant for

DAYS OF THUNDER…

When the Lamborghini Huracán Performante thundered around the Northern Loop of the famed Nürburgring in six minutes and 52 seconds, the 640-horsepower, 5.2-liter V10- aspirated-engine supercar bulldozed the previous record held by the million- dollar 918 Porsche Spyder by five seconds. Among the sun-drenched hills of southern Germany, the seven-speed, dual-clutch-transmission Performante shone the brilliance of the Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA), a technological step forward, albeit one outside the hybridization of supercars box. A proprietary system, ALA inhales air through front of the car and internally routes it through a series of wing flaps and vents. Rather than having an active wing— like, for example, the Bugatti Chiron— the Performante’s fixed wing allows air to flowwithin it rather than around it. Add the forged composite technology (versus traditional woven carbon-fiber), which contributes to 88lbs weight reduction, and it’s easy to understand how this car can achieve a top speed of more than 201mph. Available in 10 stock exterior colors, or whatever color you choose through the Ad Personam bespoke program, the Huracán Performante comes with a minimally adjustable, track-oriented seat as standard, but buyers can request a plusher, more adjustable option. Employing an alternative type of new technology, this semi-disguised racecar enhances the sensual pleasures — the noise, the tire grip, the aesthetics —of driving a car that lists its 0-124mph time (8.9 seconds). From$275,000, lamborghini.com

Words Alexandra Cheney

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