The Spyker C8 Preliator could be the closest thing to a classic airplane for the road, so heavy is the aviation theme in this Geneva debutant. Successor to the Spyker C8 Aileron from 2009 – of which the last five units are being assembled in Coventry, UK – the Preliator “represents the ultimate translation of our aviation heritage to a ‘road jet’, a plane without wings,” the company says.
The Preliator name, which means “fighter” or “warrior” in Latin, pays tribute to the aviation heritage. “Fighters” were warplanes made by Spyker between 1914 and 1918, but Preliator also symbolises the uphill battles Spyker has faced and emerged from in the past couple of years.
While the Aileron featured plane-inspired details, the Preliator takes things up a notch – from propeller design to the previous car’s turbine engine-inspired design, it’s now NACA ducts. Drag has been reduced via the replacement of the air scoop on the canopy by a NACA duct.
Small ailerons were added to the front splitter and side skirts and the shark-like gills have been abandoned. Also, the rear diffuser was redesigned and small winglets mounted on the front splitter and side skirts optimise airflow. The CNC-machined stainless steel rear lights are made of LEDs, emulating fighter jet afterburners. 19-inch “Turbofan” wheels are have a nice mirror polish finish.
The Preliator, which sits on all-aluminium space frame chassis, is powered by an Audi 4.2 litre V8 engine. Spyker has always used Audi V8s, but this one has a supercharger and boasts 525 hp. A six-speed Getrag manual gearbox is standard, but a ZF six-speed auto with paddle shifters can be specified. Both options retain Spyker’s trademark and very cool exposed gear change mechanism.
Suspension is by Lotus. Front and rear double wishbones are combined with stabiliser bars, mono-tube dampers, and coil over damper steel springs. The suspension components are made of forged aluminium where possible, to keep the vehicle’s unsprung weight as low as possible. Shock absorbers are placed vertically within the wishbones.
Brakes are supplied by AP Racing. The car pictured here has Satin Gold calipers which match the air box. Carbon ceramic brakes will be available as an option.
The interior of the Preliator can be either very cool or tacky, depending on your tastes, but most will agree that the level of detailing is amazing. The leather here is in saddle brown with white honeycomb stitching (matches the mesh in the grille) and ivory leather headlining. Turbine-style air vents, head-up display and machined Chronoswiss dials and switches are other highlights.
The first Preliators will be assembled in Coventry from the last quarter of 2016.
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What? No jet speed related data is reported?