MotorTrend hasn’t all the time had the perfect luck with its long-term press vehicles. I imply, it wasn’t that way back that their long-term Durango acquired stolen. However the story of MT‘s lacking Fisker Ocean is simply weird. Then once more, is there something concerning the Fisker Ocean that is not weird? We’re speaking about an EV that was briefly made by an organization the founder reportedly bumped into the bottom and now largely continues on (with no producer to assist it) as a part of a taxi service in New York Metropolis. That mentioned, as MotorTrend explains right here, its Fisker saga is downright bizarre.
Because the article explains, this complete factor began a few 12 months in the past when the journal’s long-term tester disappeared. It wasn’t stolen, at the very least not within the authorized sense (in all probability, it relies upon, discuss to a lawyer, I’m not a lawyer and positively not your lawyer, and so on.). As an alternative, they took it in for a service appointment and by no means acquired it again. Fisker had already filed for chapter in June, so it wasn’t precisely a secret that issues weren’t going nice, however in October, MotorTrend says its sole remaining Fisker contact knowledgeable them their automobile wanted some bankruptcy-related recall work finished. Three weeks later, they lastly heard again from their contact, who knowledgeable them the automobile was gone:
Three weeks glided by earlier than we heard from our contact once more. Lastly responding to all our unanswered emails, they knowledgeable us the automobile was gone. To the perfect of their information, it was on a truck headed to New York, offered to American Lease with the remainder of Fisker’s unsold inventory. Whether or not this particular person knew all alongside we might by no means see the automobile once more, we do not know, and whether or not they knew it wasn’t on the truck, we additionally do not know. We requested these questions on the time, however they remained unanswered.
Yikes.
Crashed and in California
Had the automobile been despatched to New York Metropolis? Was it getting used as a taxi? Had it been parted out to maintain different Oceans working? Nobody might say, and when former Jalop Kristen Lee tried discovering it by her contacts at American Lease, she discovered they did not have it. Finally, although, she did discover it. Not in New York, thoughts you. In California. Extra particularly, at a scrap yard in Rancho Cucamonga, about 60 miles from MotorTrend HQ in El Segundo. As you may think about, it wasn’t in nice form after they discovered it, both:
Primarily based on images from the Copart itemizing, our Ocean rear-ended one other automobile or crashed right into a stationary object. The entrance finish was smashed up in a means which may’ve been repairable, had it been some other automobile. The accident triggered the airbags, although, which meant there was no saving it. Actually, as a result of the automobile was nugatory on account of Fisker’s chapter and dissolution, it was going to be totaled it doesn’t matter what, however the airbags made certain nobody would even take into consideration attempting to deliver it again.
Might it have been shipped to New York and one way or the other discovered its means again to California? Presumably, however in all probability not. Copart auctioned it off in February, which means it will have solely had 5 months to journey throughout the nation twice. Who had it throughout that point, and what had been they doing with it? We might by no means know. Our pals over at MotorTrend would definitely love to seek out out. One factor we do know, nevertheless, is that with a mere 7,000 miles on the odometer, MotorTrend‘s Fisker Ocean — which initially carried an MSRP of $61,500 — offered for a mere $4,350.
There’s much more to the disappearing Fisker Ocean saga, so remember to head over to MotorTrend to give the entire thing a learn, and for those who occur to know something about who purchased the Ocean at public sale or what it was doing whereas it was lacking, you may ship your tricks to MotorTrend@MotorTrend.com.