Dutch Supercar Launched in Singapore

Spyker C8

For the genuinely rich, there is no such thing as a bad time to buy a supercar, even when the rest of the world is panicking about a global recession. One  Singaporean luxury car importer thinks so anyway.

Auto Palace Pte Ltd, part of Singapore's Hong Seh Group, last week launched Dutch super car Spyker to sell to the city state's elite. Prices start from around $660,000. The company also imports Maseratis and Ferraris, so this one should fit in well with the rest of teh showroom stock.

Spyker will produce only about 100 hand-made cars in 2008 and the model put on display, a C8 Laviolette short-wheel base, exuded rarity with its burned almond orange paint work, polished aluminum air cooling ducts and single-hinged winged doors that pop open with a touch of a button.

The rear-mounted 400-horsepower V8 engine can propel the 1.275 tonne (2,811 lb) all-aluminum car to 300 kilometers (186 miles) an hour.

If you look at the type of client we sell cars to, it's people with a net worth of US$50 million-plus. There's no really good or really bad time to launch. We're different. We're not looking at people who've just made a little bit of money. We're selling to people who can take a hit, who like to enjoy life no matter what. Martyn Schilte, Spyker's Asia-Pacific manager.

Spyker makes three models, with two more going into production: the C8 Aileron and the D8 Peking-to-Paris super SUV, complete with 600 hp engine.

Schilte says the factory in Holland plans to ramp up production to about 300 a year and says the design of the cars draws inspiration in part from aviation. The company first started in 1875 as a horse-carriage builder before merging with a Dutch aircraft maker during World War One.

Schilte, who is based in China, said Singapore's booming sales of super cars over the past four years made it a key market. "It's a wealth center," he said, adding the company planned to expand into Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Australia.

Auto Palace executive director Edward Tan said the financial crisis will affect his business.

But Tan, also executive director of Hong Seh Motors, believes 2008's sales of about 40 Ferraris and 100 Maseratis will be the same next year.

"People still need their toys," he said, adding he was still gauging interest in the Spyker marque before determining how many he could sell. No one could argue these are not one of the sexiest, most expensive cars on the planet. Perhaps not quite as expensive as the Aston Martin one 77, but what is?

C8 Interior

The C8 Spyder is the original base model with an Audi 4.2 litre V8 engine giving the car 400 PS (290 kW) and a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). The C8 spyder T has a more powerful Audi 4.2 litre V8 twin turbo with 525 PS (386 kW) giving it a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph). The C8 Laviolette has the 400 PS (290 kW) Audi engine but unlike the spyder models that come with either a soft or a hard top, the Laviolette has a glass canopy. The C8 Double 12R is a version made specifically for the 24 hours of Le Mans also using the Audi V8 engine with 480 PS (353 kW) and the C8 Double 12S is the street version of this car which has the same glass canopy of the Laviolette and optionally has a 600 PS (440 kW) engine instead of the 400 PS (290 kW) engine from the C8 spyder, giving it a top speed between 300 km/h (186 mph) and 345 km/h (214 mph) depending on the engine. Both Double 12 versions have a modified C8 spyder frame with a longer wheelbase and a bigger fuel tank, 100 litres instead of 75.
The GT2R is the latest racing model of the car and has 450 PS (331 kW) and an open top with a metal rollcage. The Spyker C12 LaTurbie is the most recent road model and also has a long wheelbase but comes with a new 12 cylinder 6.0 litre Audi W12 engine producing 500 PS (370 kW). Despite the changed designation, C12 instead of C8, the car's appearance is still similar to that of the C8 models. C12 refers to the twelve cylinders, while the C8 has only eight.
Though similar in name to the C12 LaTurbie, the limited edition Spyker C12 Zagato is different from

Spyker