the 1907 Spyker 14/18HP Tourer, which placed second in the Peking to Paris Race, driven continuously for three months over territory previously unknown to cars; the 1921 Spyker C4, with its Wilhelm Maybach-powered engine and Bosch magneto, setting a new endurance record over 36 days and 30,000 kilometers; and the S.F. Edge-piloted Spyker C4 which broke a 24-hour record on July 19 and 20, 1922. This performance has, in fact, inspired the company's contemporary racecar, the Spyker C8 Spyder GT2R.
The company is also establishing a racing heritage, as a Spyker has since 2006 been entered in both Formula One, with races in Shanghai, China, Susuka, Japan, and Sao Paolo, Brazil, Spain, Monaco as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For its racing cars, Spyker has agreed to a four-year deal with Ferrari, which will supply V8 engines as well as technical assistance and has signed Dutch driver Christian Albers and German driver Adrian Sutil to drive for 2007.
Air Meets Automotive
About the time of World War I, Spyker had
merged with the Dutch Aircraft Factory N.V., taking on the Latin motto and a logo with a spoke wheel and a horizontal propeller. The melding of automotive and aircraft aerodynamics is exemplified by the 1919 Aerocoque with its fuselage body and winglike fintail; this continues today with designs and details that suggest flight and speed.
Flight and speed: The design excellence and performance won the Spyker the 2000 award for |
|
engineering excellence by the Institute of Vehicle Engineers after the British Motor Show unveiled it Oct. 18, 2000. For instance, the doors tilt by way of electrically operated single hinges. Spyker has installed luggage compartment in the front and rear, including two Connolly leather suitcases.
Other details, such as the lack of a header rail on the convertible windshield, provide an open-cockpit, embrace-the-outdoors exhilaration. The aluminum craftsmanship throughout is outstanding, with every body panel (from the U.K.'s Coventry Prototype Panels) numbered, identifying it as belonging to its chassis. The airplane heritage is particularly evident in the dashboard and instrument panel, beautifully offset by the Connolly leather trim. The Aeroblade steering wheel is also aluminum, covered in Hulshof leather riveted onto the rim and featuring two propellers. Drivers can also select Aeroblade magnesium wheels with five propellers to further celebrate the aircraft legacy.
Personalization drives every vehicle. Each car carries a buildsheet to the buyer's specs, and owners can continually watch the progress of their car on a personalized web page.
A wide range of body colors as well as leather trim is available. Buyers can also select a wide variety of options such as Phillips xenon headlights; F1- approved safety fuel bags integrated in left and right inner chassis members; a Louis Vuitton luggage set; even a Chronoswiss watch and one of 50 Koga Aeroblade bicycles. |
