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The Bugatti Dilemma

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  • The Bugatti Dilemma

    Spyker is currently suffering under the Bugatti Dilemma. To built a Veyron, it costs VW $5MM, and they can sell them for $1.2MM. Development cost are so high that if you have to spread it over a limited amount of cars, its hard to get profitable.

    Not knowing any real figures, I figure that they need to built around 250 cars per year to break even. In 2006 that number seemed to be attainable, but before you have reached that point, you need to attract investors to cover the losses.

    2007 has been a tough year, and the F1 adventure has given the name Spyker a lot of exposure, but the F1 income that they were counting on did not materialize until the weekend that the sale of the team became final.

    Without F1 points, teams are missing out on television rights income and travel money. Together I think that would be roughly 10MM Euro. Surprisingly just the amount they were short for the 2007 season.

    Nobody is talking about the "painful" fact that they did end up with a point, but I think that is why, in the final deal, they did get more money for the team.

    Anyway, until the additional financing is in place, its going to be hard to produce cars to capacity.
    Rijk

  • #2
    I am really hoping that the new structure will benefit the road division of Spyker. Exposure in the US is getting bigger and bigger and more cars are showing up in public over there. If this boosts C8 sales it would be really good, so that production capacity can be maximised and Spyker can improve their sustainability and work on the new models.

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    • #3
      Indeed - here's hoping things pick up

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      • #4
        Last week at the factory, things seem to be picking up again. Its good to see that they have parts enough to build cars. Interestingly it seems that there are more Laviolettes built than Spyders.
        Rijk

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        • #5
          Originally posted by F Spider View Post
          Last week at the factory, things seem to be picking up again. Its good to see that they have parts enough to build cars. Interestingly it seems that there are more Laviolettes built than Spyders.
          And I can confirm that! .
          ______

          Mel

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          • #6
            Keep in mind that Bugatti KNEW they were going to lose money on that car. They slated only 300 to be built. Of that, only 150 are sold (as of October, 2007 anyways). The brand awareness and things that go along with that are what they are hoping to bank on. So far, so good.

            Also, I can tell you that there are significant changes from the early, middle, and now later model cars. My first one (05 Spyder with a hard top) had the cool steering wheel, four point harness, only two air vents (important when you live in Phoenix!) and a VERY stiff clutch was an amazing car that I wish I still had. The second one included a lot of nice features like wide body, softer breaks, turning radius, lights, etc. The third one (#152) has all the bells and whistles. Radio, navigation, supercharger, paddle shifting, and most importantly an air bag. Wait a second... That is the forth one I want.... They don't make that one yet!! Honestly though, hit me up if you want to talk about these differences. I have spent a considerable amount of time with the executives and can possibly provide insight to any questions you may have. These are more works of art than they are cars. I have a total of 12,000 miles or so logged on mine so far (if I had to guess).

            Dan

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            • #7
              Dan,

              Welcome to the website. We are so happy to get multiple owners on the site. Especially in the public section. There are many fans that love to hear about your experiences and insights.

              I just sent you an email and I did send an SMS to Victor to get you access to the exclusive owner section.
              Last edited by F Spider; 19-12-2007, 04:39.
              Rijk

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              • #8
                Originally posted by SpykerX3 View Post
                Radio, navigation, supercharger, paddle shifting, and most importantly an air bag. Wait a second... That is the forth one I want.... They don't make that one yet!!
                The latest I heard was that they were not considering paddle shifting any more. It will be a full automatic with manual override. A supercharger is in the works, but I think a change of engine manufacturer is more likely. It will be hard to hide a radio and navigation into a minimalist design, but I don't know anything about if they are considering it. I do know that the new C8 LWB will have an automatic top and power brakes.
                Rijk

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                • #9
                  I actually had a really nice stereo in 088. The techs from Holland came out and installed it for me. 152 will be getting a pretty kicking system since it has been decided that it will not see a track. I WILL get a navigation system this bad boy. I'll post some pictures of the radio I had in it if anyone wants to see it. I also have some advice on how to do it and more importantly... what NOT to do...

                  A supercharger was being installed in a C8 in Portland the last time I checked. I'm not sure how that is going though... The first I heard of it was a year ago and then again in Indy when I met up with the F1 team. They were still working on it at that time. I agree that a new engine is likely... I really like the one in there and the tranny is superb for this set up. If they swap the engine they will likely have to swap the transmission as well and I'm not sure how I feel about that. This engine has plenty of power at 400 HP given the weight of the car. I'm more impressed with a HP:Weight ratio than I am about a pure HP battle. My favorite car to track to date is the Lotus Elise for that reason... Oh well.

                  The f-1 style shifting was a pipe dream anyways. They don't have the budget to obtain one and development costs are just not worth it. This car was not meant to be raced so why fight it.

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                  • #10
                    Welcome to the forum Dan, as Rijk said, the fans love to here the story's of the owners as the Spyker are still very rare all over the world (except for me, living pretty close to the factory ). I am amazed that you already had 3 C8's, what colors?
                    I would love to see some pics, but I am curious how often you make use of one during a trip?
                    Digi-Shape Auto Fotografie
                    Digi-Shape Auto Posters

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                    • #11
                      Hey Dan,

                      Good to see you signed up straight away!

                      Welcome to the forum and I look forward to hearing about your experience. It is amazing to hear that someone is already on their 3rd Spyker!

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                      • #12
                        SpykerX3,

                        Welcome to the Spykerowner forum! I as an enthousiast (and sadly not an owner) would love to hear about the differences between the three Spykers you owned, the do's and don't and of course about your experiences with Spyker!

                        Just like pterps, I'm very curious about the colours of your 3 Spykers. Feel free to post the pictures about the stereo, navigation etc. and of course about #005, #088 and #152
                        ______

                        Mel

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Hey guys! My first one was black/tan--as well as my second. The one I am currently driving is Red/Black. It actually looks like a can of Coca-Cola!! The first one doesn't really count since I didn't really get to drive it. It came DOA (dead on arrival here in the states!) and after a tremendous amount of tinkering it was replaced. The second car (088) was good for a while but as the Spyker guys will tell you am I probably the best "tester" they have. If it started to rain outside, I'd go out! By the way, don't do that unless you have the coil shields installed.... I put a LOT of miles on it when I had it but I ALWAYS found a way to break it. I don't think there was a period of three weeks where something didn't go wrong. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying they are high maintenance. I am saying that for someone like ME to drive it it is far from perfect. I gave Spyker a list of things that I thought could be easily improved and they applied a lot of those suggestions in future cars. Some examples of these suggestions (don't read this if you don't want to "find" things wrong with the car!) include:
                          1) Why is the blinker light behind the wheel where you can't see it anyways?? You could be driving down the road and not know you are "that guy". Some of the key indicator lights are hidden in the middle under a "ledge". If you are 5-10 or taller (I'm 5-9) you cannot easily see them come on.
                          2) Some of the paint within the headlights bubble.
                          3) The hydraulic arms that pop the doors open are not strong enough. When it is cold, mine barely functioned--and when I say cold, I mean 50! I live in Arizona for gosh sakes! I can't imagine what you guys in normal climate do. If any of you plan on putting speakers in the doors (which can be done, i've done it) you WILL need stronger arms.
                          4) The entire design of the fob/ignition system is not good. My example... The very first time I drove the car I stalled it in the middle of an intersection. I flipped the red switch down and then back up to start the car.... nothing.... I had to REACH INTO THE GLOVE BOX and fiddle with the key to fire the thing up again. I could have been dead if I didn't give it thought prior to taking off.
                          5) Dyna mat in the doors. This will add about a pound of weight to the doors but it will deaden a LOT of the little things that make chirping type sounds in the car that drive me nuts. I always think something is going wrong when it is just reverb. If you have speakers installed, make sure they place some dynomat in the doors. Again, you will want the stronger arms. Just tell your Spyker guy that you want the one Dan Erickson has =)
                          6) Second FOB. I think it should come with one. I bought a second one. Note: When I first got this, it was programmed incorrectly and caused all sorts of problems.
                          7) I think the speedo and tach should be swapped. I like them on the other sides (preference)
                          8) I want to see a volt meter and oil pressure gauge. The lack of these three add to the fact that I don't think this car is a choice for track use. Anyone who races knows the importance of these gauges. You HAVE to know what is going on with your car and not having this critical information can cost you.
                          9) THAT LITTLE KEY THAT GOES IN THE WINDSHIELD!! I bet some of you a) didn't get it. and b) don't know what it is for. Spyker needs to do a better job of explaining this invaluable tool. PM me if you need more info on this one.
                          10) Have someone on call or an 800 number for us to call if we need help. Unfortunately, the dealers are not trained as much as they could/should be. They don't drive the cars so they can't speak to all the little things that go wrong. Maybe something as easy as having this board up would help if they let owners know it exists.

                          Those are just some off the top of my head. I know I have a lot more but i'll hold off for now. I want to be very clear about something though. I find fault in most anything. I am a perfectionist (like Victor). He takes all your feedback to heart and applies what he can. No car is perfect but we can all provide feedback to get as close as we can get.
                          Last edited by SpykerX3; 20-12-2007, 04:34.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Mel Bonkers View Post
                            SpykerX3,

                            Welcome to the Spykerowner forum! I as an enthousiast (and sadly not an owner) would love to hear about the differences between the three Spykers you owned, the do's and don't and of course about your experiences with Spyker!

                            Just like pterps, I'm very curious about the colours of your 3 Spykers. Feel free to post the pictures about the stereo, navigation etc. and of course about #005, #088 and #152
                            Mel, i didn't have 005. My first was 038. 05, NOT wide body.
                            Last edited by SpykerX3; 06-01-2008, 20:48. Reason: mistype

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                            • #15
                              Dan,

                              We should built on this list. Here is my take on them
                              1) Why is the blinker light behind the wheel where you can't see it anyways??---> With the propeller design steering wheel you can see the blinker. I'm 6'2" and Victor is 6'3". You need to grow up
                              2) Some of the paint within the headlights bubble. ---> Have not seen that on mine.
                              3) The hydraulic arms that pop the doors open are not strong enough. ---> I agree. Upstate NY gets really cold and they need a lot of help.
                              4) The entire design of the fob/ignition system is not good. ---> I have now 4-point seatbelts and cannot reach the key in the glove box without unbuckling myself.
                              5) Dyna mat in the doors. This will add about a pound of weight to the doors but it will deaden a LOT of the little things that make chirping type sounds in the car that drive me nuts. ---> I have no rattles or chirping, but would like to have your hydraulic arms.
                              6) Second FOB. ---> I also only have one, and need a second one. My first one is still programmed wrong.
                              7) I think the speedo and tach should be swapped. I like them on the other sides (preference)---> I would like to have them readable at night. All other gauges ar ok in the dark.
                              8) I want to see a volt meter and oil pressure gauge. ---> some gauges got deleted when the airco fans came in. I agree with the volt-meter, but still think that oil temp is more important than oil pressure.
                              9) THAT LITTLE KEY THAT GOES IN THE WINDSHIELD!! ---> I had to specifically ask for that one and have it now..
                              10) Have someone on call or an 800 number for us to call if we need help. ---> Like everything else with Spyker you just have to have Victor on your speed-dial
                              Rijk

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