RideLust

Autoblog reports that boutique supercar builder Spyker is in dialogue to sell their luxury sports car business to an English coachbuilder based in Coventry. Per a memorandum of understanding between the two companies, CPP Global Holdings will buy the Spyker luxury sports car business (which includes the C8 Aileron and “all future models”) for 32 million Euros, the bulk of which is to be paid over the next six years. The sale does not include Saab, which was purchased by Spyker last year, and both parties see the MOU as having substantial long term benefits. Read More…

*Photo Credit: Caradvice.com.au

Now here is an interesting tidbit of news. According to Autoblog.com, Dutch automaker Spyker may be looking to re-power their stunning C8 Aileron Spyder. The C8 Aileron Spyder is currently powered by a 4.2-liter Audi V8 that produces 400 hp, but in a world of 550+ hp super cars, 400 ponies just isn’t enough anymore. Replacing the Audi lump will be none other than the 6.2-liter supercharged LS9 out of the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, a engine that produces 638 hp and 604 lb-ft of torque. With a planned production run of only 99 units, the Aileron Spyder will be one of the most exclusive vehicles out there so it makes sense that a new, more powerful engine would reside between its mid-mounted frame rails. I would assume that with the addition of an extra 238 hp that Spyker will also have to modify the transmission, axles and a host of other goodies so that the Aileron doesn’t go POP when the go-pedal is matted to the floor.

Aero-fabulous Dutch car crafters Spyker have focused their engineering expertise and supreme metallurgical aesthetics on bicycles. This is the result. The Spyker Aeroblade bike has a titanium frame and aluminum glass fiber coated carbon composite wheels and fenders. Its sumptuous leather seat and grips are made by Royal Dutch Tanners Hulshof. Gearing is handled by a 14-speed Rohloff internal gear hub. Formula disc brakes round out the package. It is the most obsessively designed and executed bicycle I’ve ever laid eyes upon. And I adore it. Spyker’s unyielding attention to detail and adherence to aeronautical cues make my soul soar like a biplane. Only 50 Aeroblades will be made. Cost: $15,000.

Source: CycleEXIF

Recently rescued Swedish sensation Saab just keeps struttin’ its stuff. First there’s news that Spyker, the quirky Swede’s savior and parent company, is nabbing leftover engines from BMW to throw in future Saabs. Now photos of the new Cadillac SRX-based Saab 9-4X have seeped out into the Internet. The fanatics over at Saabs United posted the photos a few days ago. The 9-4X was engineered when Saab was owned by GM and is basically a re-bodied SRX. Still, it has Saab style and should be equipped with the company’s potent turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 and AWD. The turbo 2.0-liter inline four may also be an option. The 9-4X is expected to be officially released at the upcomming Los Angeles Auto Show.

Source: Saabs United

It seems like there are new boutique supercar manufacturers popping up every week. Companies like Pagani, Spyker, Gumpert and SSC are just a few who have sprung up in the last 5-10 years with the high hopes of taking on the world and wowing the automotive public. Based out of Memphis, Tennessee and claiming a top speed of over 200 mph the Valkry Empyrean is a car that has yet to materialize, but one that looks to have some promise. Supposedly designed in the UK and constructed with German pedigree (whatever that means), the Valkry Corporation is touting the upcoming Empyrean as a supercar that is built for the person who wants something different.

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I thought I was doing pretty good on Friday when I got to go play with a 2010 Corvette ZR1 at Monticello Motorsports Club in Monticello, NY. Then today I get this email from Matt Farah of TheSmokingTire.com in which he informed me that he bested my ZR1 drive with not one, but eight supercars all packed with VF Engineering’s Supercharged muscle.

Matt… you suck, but God bless you for having so much freakin’ fun.

An angel from the Netherlands. It's OK to stare.

We’re getting into the final rounds now, so it’s getting a bit more difficult to find vehicles made in smaller countries. I’ll keep hunting down the obscure but fast (relatively speaking), so keep checking back for updates on the days matches.

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Italians show their love of football.

Today’s matches once again pit some some automotive giants against automotive underdogs. That’s really what the World Cup is about, though, because victory doesn’t always go to the country with the strongest economy. Enjoy today’s matches and tune in tomorrow for the next round.

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Did Spyker hire the designer of Suzuki's X90?

If this is the way Spyker styles upcoming Saabs, we’re in for some ugly sheet metal on the roads in coming years. Originally launched as a concept at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, the D12 Peking to Paris is aimed at the Eastern European and Chinese markets. Places with newly minted millionaires, but poor roads and infrastructure. After all, you can’t drive the rutted dirt roads to the sweatshop in a Pagani Zonda, can you?

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In an announcement that surprised no one, Spyker has declared that new acquisition Saab will be a niche player in the automotive market. Spyker’s plans, previously developed by Saab’s management team, will be to reposition the marque as an environmentally friendly, performance oriented brand. The company will focus production on three or four model lines based around the 9-3, 9-5 and 9-4. The 9-1, a compact hatchback designed to compete withe the Mini Cooper and Audi A1, has not officially been killed. Though not in the current business plan, the 9-1 would give Saab product in the entry level luxury performance segment.

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