01 Mar 06
Having made its mark at the exclusive end of the sports car scene, Dutch firm Spyker (revivalists of a historic brand-name) is now pitching into the luxury SUV market.
The D12 Peking-Paris is described as a 'Super Sports Utility Vehicle' and is aimed at those for whom a Porsche Cayenne or Range Rover Sport is simply too common. It's a four-seater, four-wheel-drive due to go into production in late 2007, fitted with the Volkswagen W12 engine (500bhp) and six-speed tiptronic transmission. Just under 5m long, 2m wide and 1.68m tall, it's a pretty large vehicle, though its weight is kept down to 1,895kg thanks to its aluminium construction; it can nonetheless accelerate 0-60mph in just five seconds.
Nice touches include the rear-hinged rear 'suicide' doors - as on a Rolls-Royce Phantom - and a huge 22-gallon fuel tank, as well as simply massive 24" alloy wheels. It is said to have a spacious luggage compartment, an aeroplane-style dashboard and, of course, 'a sumptuous interior'. Spyker can see the D12 finding a following among former supercar owners who are now a bit older and in need of some creature comforts, or who need to carry their families around.
The D12 is named the Peking-to-Paris to commemorate three cars from Spyker's history: the 18/22 HP which came second in the 1907 Peking-Paris rally, the toughest test at the time for a vehicle; the 1919 Aerocoque, an aircraft-inspired model with a fuselage body and fintail rear end, reflected in this modern-day SSUV's roof fin spoiler; and the 1903 60 HP Spyker Grand Prix car, the first six-cylinder, four-wheel-drive car in the world.
Spyker was reborn as a brand around six years ago;it has since launched four different sports cars and competed three times in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Starting as a two-man company, it floated on the Dutch stock exchange in 2004 and now has over 100 employees; it has sold major stakes to Middle Eastern investors, some of whom were present in Geneva for the D12's unveiling.
Spyker CEO Victor Muller thanked Volkswagen and Audi for their support, along with Coventry Prototype Panels, Karmann and other partners and suppliers. 'We have high expectations for the new SSUV,' he said. 'Its future looks extremely promising and we have already received numerous orders based solely on the design drawings. We expect the car to be very popular in our primary markets such as the Middle East, the United States and China, its sales numbers likely exceeding those of our sports cars.'
