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When a car loses its ‘new’ status, several are the qualities that will decide your price as time passes. The first, of course, is seniority, which accumulates over the years. The second is exclusivity: the fewer copies there are, the more value they will have.
And then there would be specific circumstances, such as the fact that it belonged to a public figure or that it was a model for an exotic brand. Fortunately for collectors, el Spyker C8 Spyder that Sotheby’s will auction the next january 26 in Arizona (USA) has many of all these qualities.
But even if I didn’t have them, I would still be a strange piece due to the sheer eccentricity it gives offthe product of an equally eccentric Spyker who has always sought to create sports cars inspired by aviation flair.
From heaven to earth
Created back in the year 2000, Spyker is the direct heir to Spijker, a Dutch manufacturer that at the beginning of the 20th century became famous in his country for the luxury and power of its vehicles, as well as for the good performance of its its aviation engines which played a key role in the First World War.
that conjunction of luxury, sportiness and aeronautical past they would be honored in the first C8, Spyker’s flagship model. From its ‘spaceframe’ aluminum chassis to the unique four-spoke steering wheel imitating a propeller, passing through its doors opening in compass, the C8 seemed to want to be, directly, an airplane turned into a supercar.
Propelled by the 400 CV of a 4.2 V8 of Audi origin and equipped with a Getrag six-speed transmission, the C8 was capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 300 km/h. However, somewhat bare marketing and the handicap of being a high-priced model from a country with little automotive tradition played against it.
Sotheby’s
Even so, his presence at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (with the official ‘Spyker Squadron’ team) and his appearances in video games like ‘Gran Turismo 4’ or ‘Test Drive Unlimited’ they gave it more than enough popularity to become a cult car.
The unit auctioned by Sotheby’s represents one of the few 121 C8 Spyders produced, being one of only four units finished in this combination of yellow bodywork and black leather interior, and one of 15 factory-equipped with the same ‘periscope’-type central mirror. An unrepeatable vehicle that, according to the forecasts of the British house, should be sold for an amount of around 450,000 dollars (418,675 euros in exchange).
