Spyker Is Officially Back With An 800-HP Manual Hypercar
Spyker is officially beginning another chapter, and the Dutch marque is returning with something increasingly difficult to find in the modern hypercar world. The new C8 Preliator XXV Coupé combines an 800-horsepower twin-turbo V8 with a true manual transmission, handmade aluminum bodywork, and virtually no screens.
Revealed during Monterey Car Week, the Preliator XXV is an entirely new automobile rather than another evolution of an existing Spyker. The company that invented the first 4wd car has now developed a new aluminum spaceframe and body while preserving the aviation-inspired styling and obsessive craftsmanship that have defined its modern cars since 2000. Only 25 examples will be built, making Spyker’s latest comeback appropriately difficult to get your hands on.
Spyker Still Believes 800 HP Is Better With Three Pedals
At the center of the Preliator XXV is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 800 horsepower and 1,000 Nm of torque, or roughly 738 lb-ft. Spyker claims the hypercar can exceed 217 mph. More interestingly, drivers are responsible for changing gears themselves.
Spyker specifically describes the gearbox as a “true manual,” without paddles or an automated substitute. The company’s signature exposed gear linkage remains inside, while digital displays have almost completely disappeared. A head-up display is the only screen in the cabin.
“You decide when to shift. You feel every gear change in your hand. And if you make a mistake, well, you bear the consequences.” – Founder and CEO Victor Muller
That mechanical approach extends to the rest of the car. The fuel tank has moved behind the seats and ahead of the engine, borrowing a layout previously used by Spyker’s Le Mans race cars, while the luggage compartment has moved to the front.
It Takes Roughly 2,100 Hours To Build One
Spyker is also sticking with aluminum at a time when carbon fiber has become the default material for exotic cars. Every exterior panel is shaped by Coventry Prototype Panels in England, while the aluminum spaceframe was engineered entirely in-house. Spyker says each car requires roughly 2,100 hours to build. Some of that time goes toward details most owners will probably never notice. One craftsman spends four hours stitching the steering wheel with two needles simultaneously, while even the screw heads inside the cabin are aligned by hand to face the same direction.
The aviation influence remains impossible to miss. NACA ducts handle airflow, the rear lights resemble fighter-jet afterburners, and an aggressive fin tail traces its inspiration to the 1919 Spyker C1 Aerocoque. An aerospace-style isogrid pattern also appears throughout the grilles, vents, pedals, exhaust mesh, and upholstery.
The Preliator XXV Starts A New Era For Spyker
The Preliator XXV also marks Spyker’s latest attempt at a larger comeback. Its debut follows an investment from Volodymyr Nosov, who has become co-owner of Spyker, alongside a strategic partnership with European fintech group W Group. Spyker says future plans are expected to include development of the D8 Peking-to-Paris SSUV, new digital client experiences, and ambitions to return to endurance GT3 racing.
The company has made one thing clear, however: its future hypercars will remain analog. Following its debut at The Quail, the Preliator XXV will appear on the Concept Car Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 16. Spyker has attempted a comeback before, but 800 horsepower, a manual transmission, and fewer screens than your refrigerator certainly isn’t a bad way to try again.
Source: Spyker
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