Unique 2006 Spyker C8
Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker decided to join the club with Bentley, Lamborghini and Ferrari as one of the world’s most coveted automotive brands. Less than 10, 2005 C8 Spyders now belong to wealthy American auto enthusiasts, only 14 were built in the first half of 2005. These rear-wheel drive, mid-engine, hand-built exotic cars can easily top $250,000, depending on the level of customization that you receive.
The 2006 C8 Spyder and C8 Laviolette, a closed-roof version of the Spyder, make 400 horsepower while a Spyder T variant puts out 525 hp. A longer and wider C8, called the Double 12 S, has been designed for racing, has a fixed roof, the 400-hp engine and should be on sale in the U.S. by spring 2006. Also arriving around that time is a new model called the C12 La Turbie featuring Audi’s potent 12-cylinder engine (W12) in the extended Double 12 chassis.
Although it is rarely heard of in the United States, Spyker is set to make some noise, thanks to some deft product placement in the recently released film Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction, in which Sharon Stone’s lead character Catherine Tremell drives a C8 Laviolette. The C8 Spyder’s curvaceous exterior is understated by supercar standards and looks like no other supercar on the market. Its lightweight (2,750 lbs.) aluminum space frame was designed from the outset as an open-top roadster, which means the structure is more solid than if it were first built as a closed-roof coupe and had the top chopped off.
The car is stiff enough not to require extra reinforcement around the windscreen, making for a unique, frameless look. An optional soft- or hard-top can be fitted, as well as 19-inch Aeroblade wheels with spokes that mimic the airplane propeller motif in the company logo, which pays homage to the firm’s stint building planes during WWI. The Aeroblade wheels’ delicate-looking spokes enhance brake cooling and vehicle aerodynamics.