Old dog, new tricks

Spyker has christened its new car the ‘Preliator’, which is Latin for ‘warrior’ – fighting talk, then, from a company that just 12 months ago was in the midst of a gloomy uphill financial battle for survival. While the car’s carbonfibre body might look similar to the old one, save perhaps for a refreshed rear end and the numerous NACA ducts replacing the more characterful silver turbine-esque vents, there are several key changes to note beneath the surface. Most prevalent of these is the addition of a supercharger to the Audi-sourced V8 engine (boosting power to 525bhp), an all-aluminium space frame chassis, and front and rear independent suspension from Lotus. Just 50 Preliators will be hand built, with assembly carried out in Coventry, England, by a partner company. Spyker’s courageousness in the face of financial adversity is something for which we must be grateful, and the Preliator’s elegant ‘plane without wings’ appearance is befitting of its 324,900-euros (plus taxes) price tag. 

Photos: Spyker