In the world of high-end automotive luxury brands, there are cars for the millionaire next door, cars for the one percent, and then there's Spyker. At Geneva, this was made readily apparent with the unveiling of the latest super sport coupe from the former warplane maker. Only 50 Spyker C8 Preliators will be made.
The Preliator (Latin for "warrior") will take over where the Aileron leaves off. That latter model is in its final production stage as the last five units are built. The Preliator name comes from a warplane the company made during the first World War. It is a two-door, mid-engined sports car with a heavy aviation influence and an unmistakably bespoke style.
The Spyker brand, if you are not familiar with it, was revived 16 years ago with the C8 Spyder and re-invigorated in 2009 with the unveiling of the Aileron at that year's Geneva show. The company was founded by Dutch blacksmiths in the Netherlands, building their first motor car in 1898. In 1914, the company merged with the Dutch Aircraft Factory to build fighter planes and engines for them. After the war, the company began building cars again before going defunct in 1925 as the market fluxed. Now, the revived Spyker is headquartered for assembly in Coventry, UK and builds its exclusive cars together with CPP Metalcraft using engines of European design.
The Spyker C8 Preliator will utilize a drivetrain from Audi, starting with a 90-degree V8 and six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The engine displaces 4.2 liters (4,172 cc) with an 84.5 x 93 mm bore and stroke in an 11:1 compression ratio. This produces 525 PS (386 kW) and 443 pound-feet (600 Nm) at peak through supercharging. The Preliator is rear-wheel drive through a Drexler limited slip differential. The manual transmission is a Getrag and the automatic is a ZF Triptronic.
The car is designed on an aluminum space frame made of extrusions and folded sheet aluminum with extruded aluminum side-impact bars and integrated rollover bars. The Preliator was redesigned from the Aileron to improve torsional rigidity, improving it by ten percent. The suspension for the Spyker comes from Lotus, tuned for the car's build in a double-wishbone independent design at all four wheels. Spyker says that the combination of aluminum lightweighting, rigidity, and load-path technology means limited cabin noise and vibration.
All of this translates to a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 322 km/h (201 mph). Braking is through 350-mm steel discs and four-piston AP Racing calipers at front and 332-mm steel discs with four-piston AP Racing calipers at rear in a 60/40 power balance. Steering is a Servotronic speed-sensitive hydraulic-powered rack and pinion in a 3.0 wheel turn lock-to-lock design.
Curb weight for the Spyker C8 Preliator is 3,065 lb (1,390 kg) thanks to the aforementioned aluminum framing and a carbon fiber body. Every body panel on the Spyker is carbon fiber with the exception of the hood and rear deck, which are aluminum. Lightweight xenon headlights and LED tail lamps a well as other LED use further reduce weight.
Inside, the Preliator is larger than its predecessor, with rich, pleated leather adorning almost every surface. There are 14 interior color choices (and an infinite number of bespoke color options) with Saddle being the one on display in Geneva. Headline leather and stitching are also bespoke, with the display car having honeycomb white stitches to match the honeycomb grille on the exterior. The dashboard features Machined Chronoswiss dials and switches (optional) and a multifunctional Head-Up Display for the windscreen.
The exterior design of the Spyker C8 Preliator is all about aircraft. Emphasized are NACA duct work (submerged intakes), reflective gold on the glass canopy, stainless steel lighting bezels and frames, and turbofan-styled wheels.
Source: Spyker
