Car of the Day - Spyker Aileron Spyder

Car of the Day - Spyker Aileron Spyder

Spyker -- is an interesting company,... from the failed F1 adventure to a possible buyer of SAAB, only to be rejected by GM due to the involvement of Viktor Antonov, to what looks like final success with a re-negotiated deal after a buyout of Antonov. On top of that a recent announcement of a move of manufacturing from Zeewolde in the Netherlands to Coventry England. What a year.

With the move in manufacturing comes the obvious “re-structure” and reduction in head count. Not surprising really as Spyker built just 45 customer cars in 2009 and the company employs 145 people, just over 3 people to build one car a year. At the equivalent of 210-280,000 dollars US per car, after wages it does not leave much for design and materials ... oh and the Lotus engineering costs. No wonder they want to buy SAAB, they need to buy SAAB in order to diversify and bring Spyker car development costs in-house. Ultimately this slice of automotive history will make for a great book. No matter what, we are all the better for niche car manufacturers such as Spyker.

Individualism is what Spyker id all about. They may not be a Ferrari, or Lamborghini or Pagani for that matter, but a Spyker is definitely a car with appeal. Aviation heritage, unique design and beautiful craftsman are the hallmarks of a Spyker.

The new Spyder is an obvious next step development of the C8, which itself is the second generation model of the new iteration of Spyker. Drivetrain and chassis remain essentially untouched and details can be found in the companion COTD on the Coupe version. First announced at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show in March, the C8 Aileron Spyder gets a high-quality, handmade semi-automatic folding canvas top that when retracted is completely hidden within the body of the car. The roof’s operation is electric/hydraulic, secured by one central latch operated manually. The roof retracts under an aluminium tonneau, with two buttresses upholstered in quilted Hulshof leather (matching the car’s interior) and featuring the company’s motto “Nulla Tenaci Invia Est Via” (“For the tenacious, no road is impassable”). The soft top has a glass rear window and is available in eight colours.

A notable feature of the Aileron Spyder is the luggage rack which is CNC-machined from solid billets of aluminium, mounted immediately behind the roll hoops, on which a wing-shaped aluminium case is strapped. The case is trimmed in the same quilted leather as the interior and buttresses.

Optional features include a turned aluminium dashboard fascia, 19-inch directional rotor wheels, branded Rotorblade(TM), quilted leather detailing for the cockpit and Chronoswiss dashboard instruments. Additionally, complete custom and unique finishes are available as well as a 5-piece Louis Vuitton luggage set exclusively made for Spyker..

The C8 Aileron Spyder is available in 16 standard colours, but customers can choose any colour they wish as an option, as well as the Spyker Squadron GT2 colour scheme. Which makes an already visually loud car .... much louder.

Rod Halligan