MotorTrend Lastly Discovered Its Lacking Fisker Ocean In A Scrap Yard 60 Miles Away

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 received stolen. However the story of MT‘s lacking Fisker Ocean is simply weird. Then once more, is there something in regards to 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 out a producer to help it) as a part of a taxi service in New York Metropolis. That stated, as MotorTrend explains right here, its Fisker saga is downright bizarre. 

Because the article explains, this entire factor began a few yr in the past when the journal’s long-term tester disappeared. It wasn’t stolen, not less than not within the authorized sense (most likely, it relies upon, discuss to a lawyer, I’m not a lawyer and positively not your lawyer, and many others.). As an alternative, they took it in for a service appointment and by no means received 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, bought to American Lease with the remainder of Fisker’s unsold inventory. Whether or not this particular person knew all alongside we would 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.

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 via her contacts at American Lease, she discovered they did not have it. Ultimately, 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 possibly can think about, it wasn’t in nice form after they discovered it, both:

Based mostly 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 that 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 because 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 convey it again.

Might it have been shipped to New York and in some way discovered its means again to California? Presumably, however most likely 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 could by no means know. Our buddies over at MotorTrend would definitely love to seek out out. One factor we do know, nonetheless, is that with a mere 7,000 miles on the odometer, MotorTrend‘s Fisker Ocean — which initially carried an MSRP of $61,500 — bought for a mere $4,350. 

There’s much more to the disappearing Fisker Ocean saga, so you’ll want to head over to MotorTrend to give the entire thing a learn, and should you occur to know something about who purchased the Ocean at public sale or what it was doing whereas it was lacking, you possibly can ship your tricks to MotorTrend@MotorTrend.com.