When Spyker Motorcars was resurrected in 2000, the C8 Spyder made a huge splash at international auto shows and press circuits alike with dazzling paints, unique styling, amazing aluminum trim components and a super-plush interior. Thanks to a 400-horsepower, 4.2-liter Audi V8, spacey chassis and superb suspension layout, its performance could be summed up in one word: blazing.
Sure, the Spyder wasn’t for everyone. It had enough flair and scoops to make both the Lamborghini Countach and Baskin-Robbins jealous. Such extreme elements had many shying away from its cutting edge design. But it was fresh, innovative and managed to find a niche group of people who adored it. With a sticker of just over $250,000, it was a pricey and unique alternative to a Porsche or Ferrari.
Now, some eight years later, Spyker is looking for a larger foothold in the luxury sport car segment. To help facilitate this move, the company is aiming for a more conservative styling of its newest coupes: the C12 Zagato and C8 Aileron. These shining new models recently intensified their presence at international racing competitions, such as Le Mans, and finally brought automatic transmission to the brand.
Introduced at the 2008 Geneva Auto Salon, the C8 Aileron is a proper coupe, actually quite classic considering the extreme styling of its kin. The Aileron is something buyers of Mercedes, BMW, Audi, or even Bentley or Aston Martin coupes might add to their wish lists, if for no other reason than to have the only one in town. The Aileron boasts a longer wheelbase and wider stance than the Spyder, but despite the increased size, it has gained 40 percent rigidity and zero weight. The Aileron benefits with a larger interior and better handling, something most buyers of larger performance coupes will appreciate. Also, the new automatic transmission will likely whet the appetites of luxury coupe fans. In all, the Aileron might be exactly what the doctor ordered for Spyker.
Inside, Spykers have always had a certain Bentley-esque look with shiny and smooth aluminum appointments intermingling with diamond-patterned leathers. However, Spykers offer a sporting angle that most other cars in this price range lack. Take, for example, the manual transmission lever. An aluminum number designed to glide along a bar that runs through the front and rear passenger compartment walls, the bottom of the shifter links to another bar that runs through the rear wall into the transmission where it changes cogs. It’s truly sci-fi, clean and unfussy. In contrast with the Spyder, which has a vintage-looking 4-point steering wheel, the Aileron has a modern, leather-wrapped wheel with an airbag. Unlike the Spyder, it also has visible aircon vents. The Aileron is still quite sporty, just larger and a bit subtler.
Powered by the same proven 4.2-liter, 400-horse Audi engine the Spyker enjoyed, the Aileron will accelerate to 60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds and top out just shy of 190 miles per hour. Keeping it all glued to the road, Spyker has engineered a suspension unique to the Aileron with front and rear double wishbones and vertical shock absorbers. AP Racing brakes provide the stopping power via massive front and rear carbon ceramic brakes with 6-piston (front) and 4-piston (rear) calipers that not only clamp the rotors well, but look awesome behind the new 19-inch Rotorblade wheels.
The Aileron is available in 14 hues, inside and out. Of course, if you’d like to match the color of your favorite tie or bag, Spyker will arrange it. You can also add a sporting flair to your Aileron by opting for the Le Mans Spyker Squadron Racing Team colors. The Aileron is one of those rare creations that brings out the pure joy of motoring. Abundant power, respectable handling, exuberant comfort, and a singular design that no other manufacturer can match makes the new coupe less of a toy and more of a statement. If you’re tired of looking like the other supercars on the road, maybe it’s time to go Spyker.
For more information, visit spykercars.nl or test-drive yours at Spyker of Silicon Valley, 66 East Main Street, Los Gatos. 408-354-4000, spykersiliconvalley.com.
The Legacy Behind Spyker
Spyker Motorcars was established in Holland when coach-building brothers Jacobus and Hendrik Spijker built a Benz-powered motorcar in the late 1800s, leaving the motoring world flabbergasted. They followed up with the Golden State Coach, still in use today, to commemorate the forthcoming coronation of the Dutch queen, Wilhelmina. The Spijker brothers altered the spelling of their last name for easier recognition in foreign markets and committed themselves to producing fine motorcars. Their first commercial vehicle was the 60/80 HP in 1903. Fitted with a 6-cylinered engine, permanent all wheel-drive, and brakes on all four wheels, it was an engineering accomplishment nearing Maybach levels, and preceded the German company by six years. They also introduced the dust shield chassis, or rather a streamlined under-tray that prevented the car from making dust on unpaved roads. Their reputation grew in the luxury car segment after finishing second in the arduous Peking to Paris Rally. They gained notoriety as “the Rolls-Royce of the continent.” Shortly before World War I, a major economic deficit forced hard times onto luxury carmakers, and Spyker merged with the Dutch Aircraft Factory N.V. and began developing fighter aircrafts. During the war, the company built 100 fighters and 200 engines and introduced a slogan still in use today, “Nulla tenaci invia est via,” or, “For the tenacious no road is impassable.” The slogan accompanied a new logo, a wire wheel with an airplane propeller that gained cult status in later years.
After the war, Spyker resumed motorcar production and introduced the C4, a revolutionary car with an engine built by none other than Wilhelm Maybach himself. The company continued on until 1925, when it was shuttered until the new millennium.
Today, Spyker returns to the task of building cutting-edge vehicles for discriminating clients who place technology and style at the forefront of their purchasing decisions. With products that are durable, fast, comfortable, and ahead of their time in many respects, Spyker Motorcars provides owners with special vehicles that will most assuredly earn a unique place in the annals of automotive history.
