Articles about Spyker

[Mr_Jaguar]

The complete video (in Dutch):
Victor Muller: uitdaging Saab makkelijker dan Spyker - Autovisie | Het laatste nieuws over auto's op Autovisie.nl van De Telegraaf [Nieuws]

[IVR007]

Victor had a chat session with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. Some interesting (IMO) dots:

- the Zagato could one day be built, based on the aileron and limited to f.e. 99 cars. Note: there are some reports going around now that the aileron spyder will be limited to 99 pieces but I think they've got it wrong and mixed the zagato and aileron spyder up.

I get really annoyed by journalists not doing their job... I watched the interview and made my own interesting dots. Lots of magazines and websites copy-pasted de Telegraaf's initial report about the spyder being limited to 99 pieces because, unbelievable: de Telegraaf misquotes from their own interview! Now de Telegraaf corrected their report, but websites will copy other copycat websites and so this 'news' will continue to appear online.

From Autoblog.com:

According to reports from the company's native Netherlands, Spyker is planning on keeping the C8 Aileron Spyder very exclusive, with a production run of just 99 units.

Another example, yesterday autoblog said that GM has a stake in Saab big enough to block Antonov as a shareholder: yes GM has shares, but they represent a voting right of less than 1% so it's simply not true and this makes it seem like GM is still has control over Saab. (They are allowed to decide over Antonov as a shareholer but that was part of the deal)

[Reddingius]

I got really pissed off about that too. I have had Autoblog.com know about the mistake, but they made no alterations to the article as yet.

this sh*t pisses me off. I don't understand those journalists, a five year old could do a much better job, not to mention, obviously, us!

[IVR007]

In the interview with De Telegraaf Muller already mentioned they where contemplating racing the Laviolette GT2R again or using this year to prepare an aileron for LMS, It seems like they've chosen for the last: Sander Van Dijk tweeted this: 'Yes it's true, it's been decided to use this year to prepare the aileron GTE. More on this later...'

I'm happy we'll see the aileron race but on the other hand that means we've got something less to see and talk about here for a year

Update:
Peter van Erp did an interview with autosport.nl

"We can no longer win against the big factory teams like Corvette, Porsche and Ferrari with the laviolette. Because we've got a limited budget, it's impossible to race the laviolette and at the same time develop the aileron."

Because the aileron has a longer wheelbase and is wider it will have an advantage. Same goes for the aerodynamics and suspension.

"The aileron will be built a a GTE (what used to be GT2) but could also serve as a base for a GT3 or GT1 car". This way Spyker will have a broader market, where private ailerons can challenge Ferrari and Porsche in different championships. And the GTE-pro cars that are used by the factory for the first year, can be sold to amateurs that race it the next year in the GTE-AM class.

[Mr_Jaguar]

And I guess Spyker will first have to sell, build and deliver 25(?) Aileron's to customers before they can race the new Aileron.

Any idea when the first (customer) Aileron's will be build/delivered? It is awfull quiet...

[IVR007]

Some screenshots of the new aileron spyder in the game Test Drive Unlimited can be found here. This will give some great publicity.

Here is the Zagato now as well.

[Stranger]

And I guess Spyker will first have to sell, build and deliver 25(?) Aileron's to customers before they can race the new Aileron

To answer this:

A regular production implies a permanent implementation of the means required to produce a minimum of 1 car per week for the "big manufacturers" and one car per month to the "small manufacturers". If the production is not respected, the ACO will suspend the homologation of the car the year after. The suspension of the homologation will cease once the production delay has
been made up. It will be permitted to compete with the car as soon as a minimum of 100 road cars for the "big manufacturers" and 25 road cars for the "small manufacturers" will be produced.

So yes, they first have to build 25 road cars to get it homologated. They then have to continue to build one each month to keep it homologated.
But then again, after homologation is stopped there will still be 8 years to race it after the stop of the production. (Hence there are still GT1 Saleens, Maserati's and Ford GT's on the race track).

[IVR007]

Thanks for the clarification!

[Stranger]

There is a difference between cars being produced and being sold/delivered.

[Aiglos91]

Found this Dutch article in the magazine: Fevoland Business Magazine

EDIT 2: Click for the links below, to see the larger pictures

Imageshack - articlemuller1.jpg
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

[IVR007]

Very interesting article at Pistonheads.com

New Spyker C8 Aileron Set For Take-Off

Aviation inspired super GT will lead three car line-up


Spyker is forging ahead with plans to launch the long-awaited C8 Aileron this summer, under the new ownership of British company Coventry Prototype Panels.


PH met CPP's managing director and partner Brendan O'Toole on the Spyker stand at Geneva, where the latest version of the C8 Aileron took pride of place. According to the boss, deliveries will start in early summer and the Spyder version of the Aileron will follow in 2012. Brendan's longer term ambition is to add the Paris-to-Peking 'SUV' to the Spyker range, but only when production of both Aileron models is fully bedded-in.

The C8 will cost around £195,000 OTR when it goes on sale, which if measured in terms of pure 'spectacle per £' as presented by the white show car seems reasonably competitive. Performance and handling will be crucial too, of course, but with a 400hp Audi 4.2 V8 behind the seats and Lotus putting the finishing touches to the suspension settings (the car uses Evora wishbones) there's a good chance it's going to prove sufficiently entertaining on both fronts.


In terms of build quality, Brendan is convinced the Aileron will be up there with the best, and considering CPP is also responsible for creating the One-77 for Aston Martin that's probably not an idle boast. Certainly the car on the stand looked crisply detailed, an effect that's enhanced by the mechanical feel of the aluminium trim panels and switchgear.

Brendan's been intrinsically involved with the Spyker story from day one, he told us, as the very first car took shape in the CPP factory floor ten years ago.

"We've been massively involved since 2000, and since that first day I've been 150% sure the brand was going to make it, and would eventually fall into safe hands from a technical, manufacturing and design perspective," he says, adding he's got nothing but praise for Spyker founder Victor Muller who created a globally-known supercar brand from scratch in a decade. (Muller intends to concentrate all his energies on Saab in future, and will have no ongoing financial connection to Spyker when the takeover is complete.)


"I could not be more confident about how people will see Spyker by the end of this year, because CPP is definitely not a 'smoke and mirrors' company. At the end of the year we'll have produced our first 100 cars, with another 200 in 2012 when the Spyder is introduced, and every car we build we'll have a buyer for in advance."

Demand for the Aileron has been mounting in part because the car has taken more than a year longer than originally anticipated to reach production, a delay Brendan puts down to bringing production to Coventry. "But we've now got a situation where if there's a problem we can have a face to face meeting with most suppliers in about five minutes," he says.

Having now met Brendan face to face ourselves, the ongoing success of Spyker seems entirely plausible. Like his company CPP (now half owned by Russian businessman and confirmed car nut Vladimir Antonov since he bought-out Brendan's partner) Brendan appears to be quite the opposite of a 'smoke and mirrors' sort of bloke. In fact, he built the company up the hard way, and has the aluminium panel-crafting skills to prove it.

The Aileron has brought another 40 skilled jobs to CPP, with the prospect of more in the longer term. It's not a huge enterprise, but following the sad news of Bristol's downfall, there's certainly room for another bespoke British automotive success story.

[IVR007]

From China Car Times:

Spyker in the Shanghai Auto Show
Chinese Car News | CCT | April 26, 2011 at 9:49 pm

For all luxury car makers China is the place to be if you want to survive, there is little to no consumption of super cars in Europe at the moment in the short term but the Middle Kingdom is bucking the trend on practically every front. Spyker cars are now sold in China, although they are not cheap, they are considered one of the must have cars to own, especially as Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s are becoming rather passe.

Spyker brought two new models to Shanghai, the C8 Aileron and also the C8 Laviolette. A special edition of the Laviolette was made available for the Chinese market, where it will sell for around 4.8 million RMB. This model will be a true drivers car with a six speed manual gearbox mated to a 4.2L V8 engine producing 500 horsepower – that’s 100 ponies more than the regular car, which all help push the car to 62mph in less than four seconds.

That highlighted part is pretty amazing!

[IVR007]

I wish there was more info on what's happening at Spyker. What is going on, how's production, what are future product plans, how is the race car coming along, etc etc. It's been completely silent since the sale to Antonov was announced.

[amzamz]

... in the past, we were lucky to have Rijk (a good friend of Victor), and probably a few (intentional or unintentional) information leaks at Spyker works... In addition, a number of photographers around Zeewolde were providing the latest sightings to us. Not sure if we get back to that state again... CPP is working for other car manufactureres as well, and I am sure they don't want any information leaks there (e.g., Aston Martin)!

[IVR007]

... in the past, we were lucky to have Rijk (a good friend of Victor), and probably a few (intentional or unintentional) information leaks at Spyker works... In addition, a number of photographers around Zeewolde were providing the latest sightings to us. Not sure if we get back to that state again... CPP is working for other car manufactureres as well, and I am sure they don't want any information leaks there (e.g., Aston Martin)!

Exactly Amzamz. And with no racing for Spyker this year there is, at the moment, little left for Spyker enthusiasts to actually be enthusiastic about.