Usually when somebody goes back to a place they left, the people there host a little party or do something to celebrate that missed person’s return.
Spyker is changing that convention, just as it changed automotive styling with its earlier cars. It’s coming back to the automotive world after its 2014 filing for financial restructuring and bringing a gift: the C8 Preliator. We would say, “Spyker, you shouldn’t have,” but they really should have. We’re glad Spyker’s back. Its visual outliers are places we like going to.
First shown at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, the “plane without wings” pays homage to the Dutch company’s aviation heritage with design cues such as its afterburner-like taillights, aero-enhancing ailerons, and optional 19-inch Rotorblade wheels styled after the turbine blades of a jet engine. The combination of those elements, the gaping maw of a front grille, and NACA ducts makes the C8 Preliator look a little busy, but not too busy to catch the eye and make the mind think it’s processing images of something special.
Thrust comes from a supercharged 4.2-liter Audi V8 that produces 525 bhp. That’s routed through either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox and the rear wheels.
The cockpit is trimmed in the same stunning metal and leatherwork that previous Spykers are known for. The company says, “Plastic is deliberately avoided to ensure the highest possible use of ‘pure’ materials.”
Production of the Spyker C8 Preliator will be limited to just 50 units. Let’s hope the new Spyker company itself will go on past that point. “Preliator” translates to “warrior” in Latin, so it sounds as if Spyker is going to fight to make sure it does.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
