The Supercar Maker You Forgot Unveils A New Model This Summer
Do you remember Dutch automaker Spyker Cars? It turns out the company is still around and kicking. In fact, it seems Spyker has something new in the works. And it looks interesting. The has announced that, as part of its most recent resurgence from financial strife, it will unveil its newest model at The Quail this August during Monterey Car Week. On top of that, a teaser clip posted on the company's social media channels has ignited rumors that Spyker could become the latest name to enter the lucrative luxury SUV market.
“Back With A Vengeance.” Spyker Cars To Unveil New C8 Supercar
In an official announcement video, Spyker CEO Victor Muller confirmed that the Dutch brand will unveil the latest generation of its halo C8 Preliator at The Quail Lodge on August 14. Though further details were not provided, it's suspected that this reveal will be a brand-new generation of the C8 rather than a heavily facelifted update to the current Preliator, which was launched a decade ago at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. If realized, this would be the fourth generation of the C8 since the two-seater supercar was launched – as the ‘Spyder’ – as Spyker’s halo model back in 2000.
Spyker C8 PreliatorSpyker Cars
Like its predecessor, the C8 is likely to be a front-engined, rear-wheel drive two-seater. The most recent Preliator was powered by a 4.2-liter, naturally aspirated V8 sourced from an Audi R8, which, thanks to an additional supercharger, produced a sizable 518 horsepower. Said grunt was sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic, and the 3,065-pound coupe was capable of zero to 60 mph in a claimed 3.7 seconds. Figures that Spyker will no doubt hope to improve upon with its new model.Whether the company will continue to use a naturally-aspirated Audi engine, however, giventhe discontinuation of the R8, remains to be seen. For that matter,it's reasonable to question whether a company that's declared bankruptcy multiple times in the last decade can actually pull off such an ambitious comeback.
Spyker C8 PreliatorSpyker Cars
Interestingly, in his announcement, Spyker CEO Muller confirmed that the brand would also reveal “where the future of Spyker is heading” at The Quail. While this could be an overview of the brand’s current financial situation, and/or the announcement of a potential backer, this tease has led many to wonder whether Spyker might also throw the silk from another brand-new model. Among the speculated models is a rehash of the D8 Peking to Paris luxury SUV that was originally unveiled in 2014. Named after the original Spyker firm's participation in the 1907 Peking to Paris rally, the SUV was set to be powered by a Volkswagen-developed W12 engine. Development was well underway on 200 limited-edition models before financial problems led to the project being canned.
Related
This 145-Year-Old Supercar Brand Was Just Saved From Bankruptcy
After its F1 team and Saab revival both failed, this Dutch performance marque is now ready to return with a new supercar.
Spyker Cars: A Brief, Financially Troubled History
Spyker GTSpyker Cars
Originally founded as Spijker in 1880 by blacksmith brothers Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker, the troubled Amsterdam-based company quickly came to prominence as a coach builder for the Dutch Royal family, and even produced what's said to be the first production car to sport a six-cylinder engine. Following the untimely death of Hendrik-Jan Spijker in 1907, however, the company weathered multiple financial storms before finally shuttering its doors in 1926.
In a shock move, the company was revived, more than seven decades later and with the same aircraft propeller logo, as Spyker Cars in 1999. The Dutch firm unveiled the Audi-engined Spyder the following year as a pseudo-answer to fellow independent Pagani. This was quickly followed by the C8 Aileron in 2009, plus its various off-shoots, and the B6Venator concept in 2013 (which was later canceled). Spyker helmed its own Formula 1 team, to limited success, for a single season in 2007, and even developed its own GT racer.
Related
The Supercar Maker That (Almost) Did Everything Right And Still Failed
Dutch car maker Spyker created amazing supercars since 2000. But it also made some questionable business calls. This is the good-bad Spyker story.
Financial troubles were a frequent concern, however, not aided by the company’s deliberately limited production numbers (in 2006, Spyker hit its sales peak with 94 cars sold worldwide). Indeed, between late 2011 and early 2022, the company first declared, and was rescued from, bankruptcy three times. Among Spyker’s most notorious projects during this period was its attempt to buy Swedish carmaker Saab in 2010 from under the nose of General Motors. A move that, sadly, lasted less than a year and drained much of the company's resources.
Source: Spyker Cars
