Spyker bounces back with Russian funding

THE concept of rebirthing old car brands is back with Dutch sportscar brand Spyker announcing it will start production of a new range from next year using money from a Russian oligarch.

The brand confirmed this week it was being backed by SMP Racing and BR Engineering, both offshoots of SMP Bank of Russia founder Boris Rotenberg, Russia’s biggest supplier of gas pipelines and electricity powerlines.

Additional funding will come from Luxembourg design studio Milan-Morady – owned by Rotenberg’s business partner Michail Pessis – and German manufacturer R-Company that has been servicing current Spyker cars for owners.

Spyker, originally a Dutch company that made aircraft and exclusive cars from 1905 until it first closed its doors in 1953, said this 

Spyker has a history almost as mysterious, having originally started as an aircraft and exclusive car manufacturer before closing its doors in 1953.

Rebirthed in 2000 with two cars under production, the brand ended up selling 17 per cent of its business to Middle East interests in 2005 before agreeing to buy Saab from General motors in 2010. 

Saab production was halted just a year later when it ran out of money, selling Saab to a Chinese company in 2012 and 30 per cent of its own brand to another Chinese group that same year. 

In 2015 Spyker was declared bankrupt before then finding court protection to pay its creditors later that year.

“There can be no doubt that Spyker has had a few very tough years since the demise of Saab Automobile AB, in 2011,” the brand said in a statement.

“With this new partnership those days are definitely gone and Spyker will become an important player in the super sportscar market segment.”

The “new” Spyker follows the rebirthing of other car brand names in the past five years including Delage, Atalanta, Borgward and Alvis.

Spyker has now announced production of three models, consisting of the C8 Preliator coupe, an SUV to be known as the D8 Peking-to-Paris and the B6 Venator coupe that was first revealed in 2013.

The cars will be made in Germany and sold through a showroom in Monaco.

Spyker previously used Audi’s 4.2-litre V8 petrol engine as the base powerplant but changes to Audi’s engine line up and a search for more power led to a deal in 2017 to use a Koenigsegg V8 for the C8 Preliator.

That arrangement fell through however and so Spyker has not yet announced what engine will power its models.

“BR Engineering and Milan Morady have for the past few years already been involved in the development and production of a number of Spyker C8 Ailerons in so-called Limited Edition BR configuration in our German facilities,” Mr Pessis said in a statement.

“Much to the delight of the world-wide owners of the 265 Spyker road cars built to date, the after sales department and service facilities will be located in the new German production facilities as well.

“Also for 2021, the opening of Spyker’s first international Flagship Store is planned in Monaco to present the hand-built Spyker models to its discerning clientele in the proper setting. Further Flagship stores are expected to be opened later on.

“It goes without saying that Spyker intends to re-enter the international race arena through its partnership with SMP Racing and to again take a strong foot hold in motorsports.”

Spyker CEO Victor Muller, who has been at the helm of the company since 1999, said: “The collaboration agreement which we signed today, is the high light of months of our relentless efforts to build a solid Spyker company which disposes of both technical as well as financial means to achieve its business objectives.”