Top Ten Supercars of Last Decade – Spyker Laviolette C8
Author: Chris Barker
Published: 27 August 2008
Ever thought just why you want a supercar? Whether it forms part of MT’s Top Ten Supercars of Last Decade or not? What’s the point given the expense and hassle? Well, it makes you look good.This rule applies whether you’re model caliber or as is more likely the case, not. If fits around your body in a manner a proper car should. It makes you feel desired, sexy and special.Obviously no one is looking at you the driver, they see past your cheesy grin and regulation haircut and to the cut of the metal, in the cockpit of which you’ve prized yourself into. But that’s ok, move on. Fast. Because it’s a supercar and therefore you can do just that.All of this short back and sides, cockpit and prize malarkey helps MT arrive at today’s supercar offering, an offering with more than a hint of the aviational about it. Read on and it’ll all become clear. Like the white cliffs of Dover when you drop out of the clouds. Guffaw.
Spyker Laviolette C8
Cost: £192,465Speed: 187mphClaim to fame: Spyker C8 Double 12R racer – hashed together from the common-or-garden C8 – competed in the famous Le Mans 24hr endurance race. Only it didn’t cross the finish line.Why it gets our thumbs up: Has an interior that makes Spearmint Rhino look like the British Legion. With many visual pointers to a bygone time, the Spyker generally manages to almost reunite old with new, and seemingly get away with it.Tulips, clogs and windmills aside, it’s fair to say that Holland has a comparable car heritage to that of the Swiss - i.e. none. Or so we thought.Apparently in 1898 the Spyker brothers from Amsterdam built their first Benz-engined automobile. This acted as the catalyst for their car manufacturing exploits, cemented in 1903 when they produced the first car with a six-cylinder engine, permanent four-wheel drive and four-wheel braking, which found favour in Britain at the time.Then, in the aftermath of WWII, Spyker ceased trading as of 1925. Fast forward to 2000, and the unlikely destination of Birmingham, UK. The British Motor Show provided the perfect platform in which to announce its new and forthcoming motoring intentions, captured in the lightweight metalwork of the Spyker C8 Spider.A year later, and the Spyker C8 Laviolette – a coupe based on the Spider – made its first appearance, featuring a glass roof, reminiscent of a jet fighter as part of the great name’s resurrection.So, history lesson over, what powers the damn thing? A 400bhp 4.2-litre Audi V8 engine, that instigates a top speed of 187mph, having brushed off 62mph in 4.5 seconds. Combine this with 354lb-ft of grunt and a six-speed transmission driving the rear wheels, and you get the idea that the Spyker C8 can, and will, shift.With more switchgear than Concorde – and equally as spaced – the instrumentation panel owes more to aviation than automation.• View the full Top 10 Supercars of Last Decade articles: • Bugatti Veyron • Morgan Roadster • Lamborghini Reventon • TVR Sagaris • Nissan GT-R • Ferrari 360 Modena • Porsche 996 GT3
• SSC Ultimate Aero • Spyker Laviolette C8 • Caterham R500
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