Pair expect to speed onto high-end auto scene

Andrew Edwards

They have the respect. They have the ideas. Only time will tell if

they have enough.

“They” are Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler, formerly of Ford

Motor Co.’s Global Advanced Design Studio in Irvine. The two have

worked together for more than a decade on high-powered speed demons

and have set out on their own to start a new sports-car company in

Newport Beach.

The pair announced the formation of Fisker Coachbuild last week.

Fisker, 41, lives in Newport Beach and said he and Koehler hope to

have their creations on the road and in showrooms by 2006.

“We are full speed ahead, and by the end of the year, we should

have a prototype,” Fisker said.

Fisker, who designed the Aston Martin DB-9 and the upcoming Aston

Martin V8 Vantage is aiming to create cars that combine speed, luxury

and exclusivity. He expects Fisker Coachbuild cars to cost between

$180,000 and $250,000, with production limited to 150 models per

design.

“One of our objectives is to create a car that’s really exclusive,

so that when you go to a restaurant, you’re the only guy or woman who

has one,” Fisker said.

Automotive analysts said Fisker and Koehler have a rough road

ahead. Starting a company like this takes a lot of seed money, and

the pair will market to a niche demographic -- wealthy auto

enthusiasts. But analysts also said the pair have a better shot than

most at making their company work.

“It’s a very fickle aspect of the market, and it could absolutely

go through the roof or the floor,” Motor Trend executive editor Matt

Stone said.

Stone called Fisker and Koehler “two pretty heavy dudes” whose

efforts will likely generate a good amount of attention in the

automotive press.

“It’s going to get a fair amount, because Henrik is a known

quantity,” Stone said. “It’s going to get play.”

But coverage in car magazines doesn’t guarantee sales, noted Peter

DeLorenzo, founder and publisher of online car magazine

Autoextremist.com.

“[Fisker’s] designs will play very well with the enthusiasts, but

oftentimes the enthusiasts don’t have the big bucks,” DeLorenzo said.

Fisker and Koehler started working together around 1992, when both

worked for BMW. The two have taken parallel career paths, working for

BMW subsidiary DesignworksUSA before heading to Ford’s design studios

in London and Irvine. Koehler’s most recent gig was his post as

director of business and operations at Ford’s Global Advanced Design

Studio.

“We have already been a team for many, many years, and we have

talent in different areas,” Koehler said. “Henrik is the design guy,

and I’m the business guy.”

Both Fisker and Koehler said their plans are financed by a group

of international investors but declined to disclose how much money

Fisker Coachbuild has in the bank. Koehler said he and Fisker want to

keep a good relationship with their former colleagues in the

mainstream auto industry, though they see production of their own

super sports cars in their future.

“This is where the heart is,” Koehler said. “We could come up with

the next Ford Fiesta if necessary, but this is what we’re really good

at.”

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at andrew.edwards

@latimes.com.