Much like UK-based TVR, Dutch automaker Spyker feels like one of those companies destined to randomly pop up in the news cycle, only for a new investor to fall through and the project to never get off the ground. As a reminder, Spyker was founded in 1999 and built some of the prettiest supercars of the mid-2000s. The C8 Aileron, for instance, had possibly the most outrageous interior we've ever seen - with its exposed gear linkage and turned metal dash - plus a 4.2-liter V8 engine from an Audi R8.
Spyker announced it would come back this year thanks to new investment from Russia, but given what's going on in that part of the world and the fact that it's already August, we feel safe in saying 2022 won't be Spyker's year. However, according to the latest insolvency report (translated from Dutch), it appears the company may have a new investor.
"At the end of 2021, Mr. Muller (the founder of Spyker) indicated that he had an investor who would be willing to make the financial resources available for the offer of the agreements in both bankruptcies as before agreed," the report reads. "The curator has made a further budget of the bankruptcy deficits and bankruptcy costs and has stated this to Muller and requested to pay these amounts. The curator is waiting of them. In the meantime, the trustee is making preparations for the sale of the intellectual property rights."
No other details about this new investor are listed in the report as of this writing, but it appears the Russian funding has backed out in favor of a new partner. We will report back if any new information is added, but for now, we can at least dream about a return to relevance for Spyker.
Spyker hasn't sold a new car since 2012, and even then, the company only sold two. In total, the company sold fewer than 300 cars since 1999. The Dutch company has previously stated it would return with three models: the C8 Preliator supercar (first shown in 2016), D8 Peking To Paris SUV (first shown in 2009), and B6 Venator sports car (first shown in 2013). Though all three cars have existed in automotive purgatory for a collective eternity, they all look modern.
The big question is, what engine would any of them use in this day and age, as many large OEMs are focusing on electrification? Previously, the brand was slated to use Koenigsegg engines before that deal disappeared. Will this question ever be answered? We'll see.