Spyker Seeks to Demonstrate It's Still Alive with the C8 Aileron LM85.

Spyker Seeks to Demonstrate It's Still Alive with the C8 Aileron LM85.

      Milan Moraday

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      Efforts to revive the Dutch car manufacturer Spyker seem to be advancing. Some stakeholders have successfully created a unique Spyker model known as the C8 Aileron LM85, heralding promising prospects for the resurrected brand.

      The C8 Aileron LM85 is a collaboration between Luxembourg-based coachbuilder Milan Moraday and German tuner R Company, both founded by Russian oligarch Michael Pessis. In 2020, with financial support from BR Engineering and SMP Racing, companies owned by Pessis’ business partner Boris Rotenberg, Spyker received a much-needed financial boost. Jasper den Dopper, an expert in Spyker restoration who operates under the name SpykerEnthusiast online, also played a role in the project.

      According to a press release, the LM85 was “originally envisioned by Spyker years ago but never fully brought to life.” It also shares its name with a special edition Spyker revealed in 2017 to celebrate the end of Aileron production. The new vehicle features the same rivet-studded body design and paint scheme reminiscent of Spyker’s racing livery. It is powered by a supercharged V8 engine of unspecified origin, paired with a six-speed manual transmission. The previous LM85 from 2017 had an Audi-sourced 4.2-liter V8 with a supercharger but was mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

      Spyker aimed to manufacture three of the original LM85s, but the future plans for this latest version remain uncertain beyond generating renewed interest in the brand. Spyker's last major model was launched in 1999 with the C8, followed by the updated C8 Aileron a decade later, intended to keep the Steampunk design—derived from Maarten de Bruijn’s Spyker Silvestris V8 concept—relevant. CEO Victor Muller had grand ambitions, briefly leading the Midland F1 team (now competing as Aston Martin) and acquiring Saab’s remnants from General Motors.

      The endeavor to revive Saab almost led to Spyker's downfall. It introduced an upgraded sports car named the B6 Venator at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and returned in 2016 with the C8 Preliator. It also announced an engine partnership with Koenigsegg in 2017 but fell silent until the oligarch bailout was announced in 2020. Milan Moraday has stated that NOS parts will be acquired, which will be available to owners and enable new builds using leftover chassis. Coordination for these efforts will take place from a new "central hub" in the Netherlands.

      Another ambition is to finally complete the Spyker D8 Peking-to-Paris SUV concept as a functioning vehicle. Originally unveiled in concept form in 2006 and named after a long-distance race the original Spyker participated in 1907, the D8 foreshadowed ultra-luxury SUVs like the Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus. Perhaps the outcome would have been different had Spyker managed to bring it to production two decades ago.

Spyker Seeks to Demonstrate It's Still Alive with the C8 Aileron LM85. Spyker Seeks to Demonstrate It's Still Alive with the C8 Aileron LM85. Spyker Seeks to Demonstrate It's Still Alive with the C8 Aileron LM85. Spyker Seeks to Demonstrate It's Still Alive with the C8 Aileron LM85.

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Spyker Seeks to Demonstrate It's Still Alive with the C8 Aileron LM85.

Investors assert that they possess sufficient new old stock to recommence limited production of the C8, and they are also attempting to resurrect Spyker's previously unsuccessful SUV.