- The Spyker C8 Preliator debuts on August 14 at Pebble Beach.
- Spyker CEO and Founder Victor Muller claims the new model “is not going to be electric in any way.”
- It will use a twin-turbo V8 with 800 hp and top out at over 217 mph.
It’s been 100 years since the original Spyker company went out of business. It returned in 1999, but like its forebear, it went bankrupt again, not once, but twice. The first collapse came in 2014, followed by another in 2021. Now, CEO and founder Victor Muller believes the third time’s the charm and is making another attempt to revive the troubled Dutch exotic brand.
Spyker’s resurrection was originally announced last October, and now there’s a promise of a new car. First seen a decade ago at the Geneva Motor Show, the C8 Preliator is making a surprising comeback. Whether it’s an evolution of the 2016 car or an entirely new development remains unclear, but we do know it will feature a twin-turbo V8 engine producing 800 horsepower.
While the original C8 Preliator (Latin for “fighter” or “warrior”) also had a V8, it used a supercharged 4.2-liter unit of Audi origin with 518 hp. Spyker hasn’t said whether the new engine is linked to Audi or another Volkswagen Group brand, such as Porsche or Bentley, but it has confirmed one thing: it will be a pure V8.
‘I can reassure a lot of fans and potential customers that this car is not going to be electric in any way, shape or form, not even hybrid.’
The undisclosed V8 will help the new Spyker exceed 217 mph (350 km/h). The first new model in a long time carries chassis number 270, suggesting that only 269 vehicles have been built by Spyker in the modern era. The reborn C8 Preliator is heading to Pebble Beach and will debut on August 14 at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley.
While previous attempts to revive the brand have failed, Muller insists things will be different this time. Spyker says this will be the first of “many, many new cars we’re going to build in the next few years.” Before reaching the spotlight, the new C8 Preliator is being shipped from the UK to the Netherlands, where final assembly will take place.
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Motor1’s Take: Spyker interiors have always felt like sitting inside a Rolex watch, and hopefully, that exceptional attention to detail will carry over into this new era. The C8 Preliator will be hand-built, and with a good old-fashioned V8 driving the wheels, it could reignite interest in the nearly forgotten brand.
With Spyker seemingly rising from the dead, can we get SAAB back, too?
