Over the past few years, Spyker has started to make waves in the exotic car world with the C8 and now comes the the C12 La Turbie. Both cars are very fast, thanks to good aerodynamics, mid-mounted engine and light aluminum frames. They have distinctive looks, and appeal to those who like retro looks, particularly in the cockpit. Still these are cars with top speeds in the 185-196 mph range, and with 0-60 mph times of less than 5 seconds.
There is also a special bodied version - the Spyker Zagato, seen in the last picture.
Spyker produced sporty cars over a 100 years ago, and was fairly successful in the early days, in particular with the car it produced in 1903 – it had the world’s first six-cylinder engine and four-wheel drive. After a short life, the company went out of business in 1925, and the name was brought back to life recently.
Hand-built in The Netherlands
Now, Spykers are all hand made in a factory in The Netherlands, with the aluminium body panels being hand-made in the UK by Coventry Prototype Panels. The two basic models are very similar.
The cars look practical rather than elegant, with a wide and deep oval grille at the front flanked by flush fitting headlamps in the fenders. Air from the radiator is exhausted through the hood. The body is slab-sided, with a pair of circular air intakes for the engine each side, and there is a short vertical tail. A pair of diffusers help create downforce at the rear, which has air outlets from the engine compartment. Two heavy looking circular exhaust pipes are used on the C8 and four on the La Turbie C12.
Practical air outlets to the rear of the front fenders, and in the engine compartment lid hint at the high performance engines.
Open two-seater
The basic model is an open two-seater, and both cars are mid-engined. However, Spyker offers a coupe version which has a roof made almost entirely of glass.
Spyker has adopted an all-aluminum construction for the C8 and C12 La Turbie, and this is based on a frame of extruded members. However, the frame is reinforced by aluminum sheet panels forming the dash panel, the rear bulkhead, the floor and in other areas to provide a rigid, lightweight structure.
Audi engines
Both models are powered by Audi engines – either the 4.2 liter V-8, 40-valve unit, or the 6.0 liter W-12 from the Audi A8. Since the two engines are almost the same size – the W-12 construction is very compact as explained here – the two cars are almost the same size, except that the rear track of the C12 la Turbie is 6 inches wider than on the C8!
Neither engine is turbocharged, and the 4.2 liter V-8 is tuned to develop 400 bhp at 7,500 rpm, with maximum torque of 354 lb ft (480 Nm). The W-12 produces 500 bhp at 7,500 rpm, and maximum torque is 443 lb ft (600Nm).
In both models, a six-speed transaxle transmits the power, and suspension is by double wishbones and coil springs, with Koni dampers. AP Racing brakes, with 6-pot front and 4-pot rear calipers are installed. The front discs are 14 inch diameter (356 mm) and rear discs are 13 inch diameter (330 mm).
The aluminum wheels have an unusual design, each spoke resembling the propeller of an airplane, reflecting the fact that Spyker made aircraft in its early days. The wheels carry 225/40ZR18 front tires, and 255/35ZR18 rear tires. However, owing to the greater power output, the C12 La Turbie has 19 inch magnesium wheels.
Inside, the car is trimmed in leather, with a retro look obtained with the machined and polished face of the instrument panel, and retro switches.
With that aluminum construction and low build, the Spykers are both lightweight exotic cars – the C8 weighs in at 2,750 lb (1,250 kg), and the C12 La Turbie at 3,362 lb (1,525 kg), giving good power-to-weight ratios.
But do they perform? Well, Spyker has produced a racing variant of the C8, with just minor modifications, and this has completed the Le Mans 24-hour race, and finished second in class at the Nurburgring 1,000 km race in September 2005.
