What Is It?
2006 Spyker C8
What's Special About It?
Chances are pretty good you've never heard of Spyker. Even though the Dutch company started producing automobiles at the turn of the century, the vehicles never saw U.S. soil. By 1926, the company went under, after building airplanes for World War I. In 2000, Spyker was brought back from the grave as the maker of limited-production sports cars. How limited? Last year, Spyker produced just 35 copies of the car you see here, the C8.
Sporting all-aluminum construction, the C8 weighs in at just under 2,800 pounds, or about a few hundred pounds less than a new RX-8. Using a midmounted and tweaked version of Audi's 4.2-liter V8 for motivation, the Spyker has 400 horsepower at its disposal. This gives a weight-to-power ratio of 7 pounds per horsepower. You'd expect that to translate into blistering acceleration, and it does. Fire through the six-speed manual gearbox, and according to the Spyker reps, you should hit 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. Brakes with rotors the size of large pizza pans (14 inches) and six-piston calipers keep all that potential velocity under control. A double-wishbone suspension system uses lightweight, stainless steel components and racing style horizontally mounted dampers. Nineteen wheels make the connection to the tarmac.
With a price tag close to $300 grand ($290,000 not including tax and license), you'd expect some exotic touches. The cockpit features four-point harnesses, engine-turned dash and console accents, bottom-hinged racing pedals and gorgeous leather that covers almost everything, including the dash top.
What's Edmunds' Take?
Like anyone else, we appreciate something you don't see every day and we'd love to get behind the wheel of one of these lightweight, 400-horspower racers. But with only 50 slated for worldwide production for 2006, we won't hold our breath. —John DiPietro
2006 Spyker C8
What's Special About It?
Chances are pretty good you've never heard of Spyker. Even though the Dutch company started producing automobiles at the turn of the century, the vehicles never saw U.S. soil. By 1926, the company went under, after building airplanes for World War I. In 2000, Spyker was brought back from the grave as the maker of limited-production sports cars. How limited? Last year, Spyker produced just 35 copies of the car you see here, the C8.
Sporting all-aluminum construction, the C8 weighs in at just under 2,800 pounds, or about a few hundred pounds less than a new RX-8. Using a midmounted and tweaked version of Audi's 4.2-liter V8 for motivation, the Spyker has 400 horsepower at its disposal. This gives a weight-to-power ratio of 7 pounds per horsepower. You'd expect that to translate into blistering acceleration, and it does. Fire through the six-speed manual gearbox, and according to the Spyker reps, you should hit 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. Brakes with rotors the size of large pizza pans (14 inches) and six-piston calipers keep all that potential velocity under control. A double-wishbone suspension system uses lightweight, stainless steel components and racing style horizontally mounted dampers. Nineteen wheels make the connection to the tarmac.
With a price tag close to $300 grand ($290,000 not including tax and license), you'd expect some exotic touches. The cockpit features four-point harnesses, engine-turned dash and console accents, bottom-hinged racing pedals and gorgeous leather that covers almost everything, including the dash top.
What's Edmunds' Take?
Like anyone else, we appreciate something you don't see every day and we'd love to get behind the wheel of one of these lightweight, 400-horspower racers. But with only 50 slated for worldwide production for 2006, we won't hold our breath. —John DiPietro
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