Dutch sportscar maker Spyker has always used Audi-sourced V8 engines, right up to the C8 Preliator which made its debut at last year’s Geneva Motor Show, endowed with a 525 hp supercharged V8 engine. In its most recent, open-topped iteration, the Preliator gains a 600 hp/600 Nm, naturally-aspirated Koenigsegg V8 engine, according to Road & Track.
The Audi-engined Preliator coupes had to be delayed by nine months, in order to have the new Koenigsegg engines in place. Spyker chief executive officer Victor Muller said he never liked the supercharger noise from the previous engine, and that factored into the decision to make the switch.
Muller enquired with five different engine suppliers, and eventually Koenigsegg emerged as the supplier for Spyker’s new powerplants. Muller believes that the 600 hp figure is a conservative estimate, and the naturally-aspirated unit is essentially the same as the ones used by Koenigsegg, save for forced induction and the use of exotic materials. Transmission to the driven wheels is a six-speed manual, via an exposed shift linkage – a Spyker tradition.
“So basically, for us to have time to do this and resources – since we’re a small company – we only changed what we have to change, and removed what we have to remove to make it work. So, it’s over-engineered for their needs, because the (engine) structure can take 1,500 hp and they’re having 600,” said Christian von Koenigsegg, founder of the eponymous supercar marque.
Spyker’s version of the engine apparently gets the same crank, connecting rods, camshafts and cylinder heads as the original Koenigsegg motor, though it does have a few unique modifications for the application. These include a different dry-sump lubrication, the exhausts, the intake for normal aspiration, a higher compression ratio and the injectors as compared to Koenigsegg’s own 1,000+ hp turbocharged units.
“And of course, our engines are bulletproof with 1,360 hp, our customers don’t kill engines, so that engine (in the Spyker) will last for, I don’t know, 200 years or something. All this means they’re paying a little bit of a premium for the engine because they’re getting stuff they don’t need, but it makes it easier for us, and they get a jewel of an engine. With this optimised engine for natural aspiration, from five litres, we get 600 hp at 8000 rpm,” he said.
So, there you have it: an under-stressed 600 hp engine that will last for 200 years – a far cry from the Mercedes-Benz Project One’s 50,000 km limit. Which one would you prefer?
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Can inherit the engines for harta pusaka later on………hehe
When U asked a question – Which one would U prefer? At the same time, U added – Mercedes-Benz Project One’s 50,000 km limit.
Only fools will say/tell U they prefer the MB. But then again, there are many fools around. There’s a sucker born every minute – Wikipedia.
The Merc. No doubt. There’s no way you’d ever drive 50000 km in either of these cars (especially in the Merc), so that is not an issue. The Merc is a F1 car that you can actually drive on the road, and that you don’t need a support crew for. It even has a detuned version of the F1 engine from last year. How to beat that?
Can U answer a simple question? Which engine last longer ?? A NA engine or a TURBO charged engine !! If U can answer the question, U will have the answer.