Double Dutch
When you think of the great supercar makers, the tendency is towards either Teutonic precision or Italian flair. The Dutch? Well, they gave us the CVT, didn't they? Hardly the sort of place that'll come up with something capable of tilting at windmills.
However, here's today's ultra-rare find of the week: a Spyker C8 Spyder, one of just four ever sold in Canada. You can find it tucked between the Aston Martins, Bentleys, and AMG Mercedes at London Motorcars in the heart of Vancouver's luxury marque shopping district.
London Motorcars has been in business for two decades, and along the way all sorts of hard-to-find sheet metal has graced its showroom. Most recently, they just delivered one of the limited production Bentley GT Le Mans-Edition cars (just 40 made), but there have been Ford GTs, a Porsche Carrera GT, Phantom Dropheads, and all manner of other high-dollar temptations. So what makes this Spyker worthy of its high-falutin' neighbours?
“It's very retro,” says Edmond Luk, a seven-year veteran of the team at London Motorcars, “The drive feels almost old-school, with a traditional six-speed manual transmission.”
Reborn from an early Dutch aircraft manufacturer, Spyker burst onto the scene with a unique blend of styling and craftsmanship not seen in decades. They did have racing efforts as well, include a stint at Le Mans, but the real story was in the way the cars recaptured a little of that custom-made magic of the cars of yesteryear.
With 400 hp from an Audi-sourced 4.2L V8, the Spyker is plenty quick, yet isn't going to win any track day exploits against something like a Nissan GT-R Nismo. But that's not the point.
It's a jewel of a car, sculpted from aluminum, with an interior rich with deeply quilted crimson leather. The linkage to that six-speed manual sits exposed in chrome and steel, and the burnished dash is a throwback to the coachbuilt cars of the roaring twenties.
London Motors sourced this car for a client from Canada's single Spyker dealer, and it now comes back to them in trade – indeed, the large portfolio of clientele they've served over the years are their largest source of exceptional vehicles.
This particular Dutch-built machine is certainly something special, low on the practicality scale, but a total experience like nothing else you can buy. Best of all, thanks to a late registration and very low mileage (just 500 km!), there's plenty of warranty still on the car for the next two years.
