Haven't heard of Spyker?
Not many people have, which isn't surprising considering the Dutch company has sold only 253 cars since it opened its doors in 2001.
That's not to say Spyker is without lineage. It originally started building horse-drawn carriages in the 1880s.
It was the first to build a six-cylinder, four-wheel-drive car and, along the way, joined forces with an aircraft manufacturer.
Resurrected by wealthy Dutch entrepreneur Victor Muller in 1999, the company now has three hand-built models -- the C8 Spyder convertible, a hardtop version called the Laviolette and the all-new Aileron coupe.
The Spyder was the first of the species.
My tester was a 2006 model with more than 24,000 km on it. The first impression of the Spyder is one of impeccable craftsmanship worthy of an obsessive Germanic machinist. My next thought was that it's obvious whoever penned the exterior styling suffered an obsession with being noticed.
The exterior has scoops, intakes and aerodynamic lips -- all beautifully sculpted in polished aluminum -- seemingly everywhere. The gorgeous twin pipes exit through, not under, the rear bodywork and emit the kind of exhaust note usually reserved for the drag strip. The Spyker is an extrovert's car in every way.
That's nothing compared with the interior, which boasts deeply quilted leather (often seen in truly outlandish hues), toggle switches for every possible electronic function and an acreage of milled aluminum not seen since Bentley was an independent automaker.
The coup de grace is a shift linkage that looks like a high-tech version of the articulated linkages found in aircraft of yore. I'm not sure it makes shifting any more precise, but it is part and parcel of an interior package that is completely unlike anything else in the automotive industry.
But there's far more to the C8 than just outrageous looks. For one thing, it boasts an all-aluminum space frame not unlike the one that renders the Audi R8 so robust.
So rigid is the Spyker's basic undercarriage that, in hardtop Laviolette form, it requires an amazing 18,840 ft-lbs. of torque to deflect the chassis one degree (a stoutness equal to anything from the big boys).
Suspension-wise, the Spyder and Laviolette both owe much to open-wheel racers, with all four corners being cushioned by double wishbones controlled by inboard, rocker arm-actuated Koni shocks. It makes for wonderfully communicative handling.
Despite having the Audi-sourced engine situated fairly far back in the framework, the C8 steers neutrally thanks to a rear track wider than the front and asymmetrical 19-inch tires (265 mm wide in the rear and 235 mm in the front).
A huge part of the C8's everyday practicality stems from Spyker's sourcing of its engines from Audi. Originally seen in the previous-generation S4, the 4.2-litre V8 in both the Spyder and the Laviolette has been boosted to 400 h.p. thanks to Spyker's own intake and exhaust plumbing as well as judicious remapping of the fuel injection and ignition mapping.
One doesn't buy a Spyker for its straight-line speed. Any number of sports cars -- many costing much less -- can out-accelerate the Dutch demon. But the high-revving Audi mill provides what purists would call adequate power.
Besides, any car that can spring to 100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds and top out at 300 km/h while looking this good cannot possibly be found lacking.
SPYKER DETAILS IMPRESS
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 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 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. The doors are still gullwing and performance is exhilarating, not to mention extremely aural.
POWERED BY THE SAME
400-h.p. version of Audi's 4.2-litre V8 as the Spyder and Laviolette, the heavier (1,425 kg) Aileron isn't quite as responsive as Spyker's shorter-wheelbase C8s.
Spyker also took the time to design an all-new chassis for the Aileron. One item beyond reproach is the Aileron's styling, inside and out.
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.
Canwest News Service
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