Dutch sports car manufacturer Spyker’s motto translates in English to “For the tenacious, no road is impassable.” For the dormant automaker, the road has been bumpy but the company might just be turning a corner.
It’s announced that Boris Rotenberg, Russian oligarch and owner of SMP Racing and BR Engineering, along with his business partner Michail Pessis have entered into a collaboration agreement with the company.
The company, still helmed by CEO Victor Muller, intends to begin production of the C8 Preilator, B6 Venator, and D8 Peking-to-Paris SUV.
The first cab off the rank will be the C8 Preliator, with production slated to begin next year at a production facility in Germany. Sales and service facilities will also be located at the facility.
The company plans to open a flagship store in ritzy Monaco next year and return to motorsport at some point.
Two of Rotenberg’s companies have already been involved in the development and production of a number of Spyker C8 Ailerons. Both Rotenberg and Pessis have each owned one of the 265 Spyker production vehicles built to-date.
The D8 Peking-to-Paris SUV was first shown in concept form all the way back in 2006 at the Geneva motor show (badged D12), with the B6 Venator debuting as a concept at the 2013 Geneva motor show and the C8 Preliator in 2016.
The most recent production Spyker was the C8 Aileron, which ended production in 2017.
Its replacement, the C8 Preliator, was previewed with an Audi-sourced 391kW supercharged 4.2-litre V8 mounted midship and mated to either a Getrag six-speed manual transmission or ZF-sourced six-speed automatic.
If the D8 Peking-to-Paris SUV reaches production looking like its remarkably prescient concept, it won’t feature the Volkswagen W12 engine that powered it. The B6 Venator, in contrast, was previewed with a 279kW V6 engine of unknown origin.
It’s been a tumultuous decade for the Dutch manufacturer.
In the early years of the 2010s, it went through protracted negotiations to acquire Saab from General Motors, culminating in a lawsuit against GM and Saab’s subsequent bankruptcy and acquisition by a Chinese firm.
Shortly thereafter, Spyker was ordered to vacate its factory due to unpaid rent. Later in 2014, it was granted a financial restructuring by the Dutch government and declared bankruptcy.
Spyker appears keen to put these bad memories in the past. In a statement, Spyker said, “There can be no doubt that Spyker has had a few very tough years since the demise of Saab Automobile AB, in 2011.”
“With this new partnership those days are definitely gone and Spyker will become an important player in the supersportscar market segment.”
