To say that Dutch automaker Spyker is a niche company is a massive understatement. While firms such as Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen talk of producing millions of cars annually, Spyker would be tickled pink if it could eventually produce 400 C8s in a single year.
It hopes the path to that relative success will be shouldered by its new Aileron coupe. Designed as a grand touring sports car rather than the ideologically pure Spyder and Laviolette, the Aileron boasts both an automatic transmission and an audio system.
However, before you start thinking the tiny firm has sold out its purist principles - Nulia tenaci invia est via, or "For the tenacious, no road is impassable" - be forewarned that said audio system consists of an amplifier, an iPod hookup and a singular dashboard button that serves as the volume control.
No radio faceplate or six-disc CD changer for Spyker. So, even though its $252,000 price tag sees it competing with the Aston Martin DB9s and Ferrari 599s of the world, Spyker looks at grand touring differently than the rest of us. The doors are still gullwing, ingress and egress are best suited for the limber and the performance is exhilarating, not to mention extremely aural.
Powered by the same 400-horsepower version of Audi's 4.2-litre V8 as the Spyder and Laviolette, the heavier (1,425 kilograms) Aileron isn't quite as responsive as Spyker's shorter-wheelbase C8s.
On the other hand, the longer wheelbase allows for the incorporation of a ZF six-speed automatic, a feature the company thinks is essential to broaden its customer base. Indeed, the ZF tranny is superbly civilized, yet it still incorporates Spyker's quirky yet extremely artistic aircraft-influenced shift linkage. Overall, it's an impressive package that could stand a few more ponies since it weighs almost 200 kg more than the Spyder. Spyker also took the time to design an all-new chassis for the Aileron.
Unlike the shorter Spyder and Laviolette, the Aileron's front and rear tracks are the same width, the double wishbone suspension is a more traditional production car design (similar to the Lotus Evora's) and the brakes enjoy a modicum of power boosting.
Though easier to drive, the result is that the Aileron is a little dartier than the Spyder, though, to be fair, it is still phenomenally stable. It also turns into corners with remarkable precision.
Conversely, the brakes could still stand more boost. It seems ridiculous to change a car so completely to accommodate an easy-to-drive automatic transmission and then still require Arnold Schwarzenegger's quadriceps to apply the brakes. One item beyond reproach is the Aileron's styling, inside and out.
Externally, it still incorporates Spyker's manifold scoops and inlets, but the overall shape seems a little more mature and a little less look-at-me-right-now. Inside, you'll still find a gorgeous combination of milled aluminum, quilted leather and aircraft-quality toggle switches that Spyker says cost US$50 apiece. If I don't sound as enthusiastic about the Aileron as the Spyder and Laviolette, it's not because the newest Spyker is a lesser car.
My hesitation is that in trying to civilize its rough edges with the more "accessible" Aileron, Spyker has charged into a segment occupied by much larger automakers whose budgets almost ensure their end products are more polished.
That makes the job of selling a niche car all that much harder.
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